


RWBY Tumblr Prompts

by buzzybees



Series: RWBY Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, but sometimes, how do tag stuff ?, theres never a lot of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 127,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22400383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzybees/pseuds/buzzybees
Summary: hello there friends. over a little while, i've gotten prompts on tumblr and have written stories on there (buzzybeesinlove). so, i decided to start compiling all of those and send them here and basically just have them all in one place, and that way if people prefer reading on here, they can see them here as well. i hope you enjoy these one shots! Lots of spoilers for the show, so if you haven't seen right up until whatever the most recent chapter would be when you see this, then be careful with some of these one shots :)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ilia Amitola/Weiss Schnee, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, others if people send them in ig
Series: RWBY Tumblr Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612219
Comments: 105
Kudos: 345





	1. Jealousy (Bumbleby)

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: jealous bees

When Yang entered the virtual training room, the last thing she expected to see was Flynt striding up to Blake as she played around with Gambol Shroud. Yang narrowed her eyes, watching as Flynt tapped her shoulder, garnering her attention.

Blake turned around, eyebrow raised as Flynt began speaking to her. Yang pursed her lips and glanced around the room, noting that the rest of Team FNKI were already warming up and beginning to spar with some members of Team ORNJ. She frowned and focused back on Blake and Flynt, an unnamed feeling flaring up inside of her when Flynt said something to her, her partner _giggling_ at him.

Yang huffed and quickly shot over towards them. Blake’s ears twitched at her approach, her eyes flicking over to Yang as she walked towards them. Flynt paid her no mind, though, and Yang caught the tail end of his sentence as she walked up to them both.

“So, how about tomorrow night?” He said smoothly, and Yang suddenly couldn’t see right anymore. All she saw was red as she sidled up to Blake, pressing their sides together as she faced Flynt. The guy tipped his stupid fedora in Yang’s direction in a form of greeting, and Yang scoffed under her breath. She felt Blake shake with laughter next to her, and before she could say anything, Yang interrupted their conversation.

“What’s tomorrow night, exactly?” Yang said, crossing her arms on her chest. Flynt raised an eyebrow at her, an infuriating smug smirk dancing on his lips at her blunt tone. Blake tried to interject again, but Flynt shot her a look and shook his head subtly. Or at least, he wanted it to be subtle, but Yang caught it. She could feel the strong urge underneath her skin to activate her semblance and punt this guy across the room so hard that his fedora flew to Menagerie. “Hello? Kinda talking to you over here.” Yang snapped, sending a glare that she hoped looked as intimidating as she felt. 

Flynt continued to smirk, before he sighed and slid his hand along his trumpet, nonchalantly fiddling with some parts of it.

“Nah, nothin’s happening tomorrow night. You must have heard wrong.” Flynt said, and Yang was _this_ close to just ripping that trumpet from his hands and shoving it up his-

“It’s okay, Flynt. I can explain it to her, you should go spar with your team.” Blake’s voice floated to her ears, and the faunus stepped between the two of them, placing her hand on Yang’s chest. Yang blinked a few times, glancing down at Blake’s hand before returning her gaze. Flynt just shrugged and nodded, tipping his fedora once more. He sauntered away, and Yang glared at his back all the while.

Blake sighed and looked at Yang, standing in front of her so she wouldn’t kill Flynt with her eyes anymore than she already did. There was a teasing smirk on Blake’s face, and Yang flushed as her amber eyes narrowed at her.

“What was that?” Blake said, amused. Yang sputtered and stepped back a little, both hands resting on the back of her head as she shrugged.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” She said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. But Blake was her partner, and had been for quite some time now, so when her eyes were no longer narrowed and instead were open wide, glowing with mischief and amusement, Yang knew she was caught.

“Yang Xiao Long, were you perhaps… Jealous?”

Yang scoffed, but it didn’t sound at all convincing, and she didn’t _look_ convincing either with the way her cheeks glowed red.

“What?! No way! Why would I be jealous of that guy? All he does is play the damn trumpet in battle, anyway.” Yang said, crossing her arms in defiance. Blake just hummed, crossing her own arms and nodding her head slowly. “Besides, I… I have no right to be jealous, since we aren’t…” Yang trailed off, clearing her throat and wincing at her next thought. Blake tilted her head, studying her as she came to terms with her next sentence. “We aren’t together, s-so… You can go on a date with whoever you want.”

She felt like throwing up the minute she said that, because that’s _not_ how she really felt, and that’s _not_ what she wanted to really say. But nerves got the best of her, and she just averted her eyes from Blake’s intense gaze. She heard the girl sigh, before a gentle touch on her shoulder snapped her attention back to her. Blake gave her a comforting smile.

“You’re right. We aren’t…” Blake shook her head, a light blush on her cheeks and ears flattened on her head. Yang’s heart sunk to her stomach, but was soon lifted again as Blake spoke again. “But… That doesn’t mean I want to be with Flynt… Or anyone else for that matter.”

Yang furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to also calm her erratic heartbeat with what Blake just said. “But, didn’t he just-?

“Ask me if I wanted to go shopping with him tomorrow night, because he wanted to buy a gift for Neon, and thought asking another faunus would help him decide what to get?” Blake finished her sentence for her, and Yang’s eyes widened in realisation and shock.

“Oh.” Yang said dumbly, and Blake giggled at her reaction. Yang sighed deeply, shaking her head at herself as Blake shifted closer, the hand on her shoulder coming up to cup her cheek.

“I told him I’d help, but only to be nice. Though, I made sure to tell him that just cause I’m also a faunus doesn’t mean I’ll have all the answers for a gift.” Blake said rolling her eyes. Yang breathed out a laugh, leaning into her touch. A soft smile bloomed on her lips as she nodded.

“I also told him, um, that I’d use the chance to maybe… Buy a gift for someone too.” Blake mumbled, and Yang blinked at her in surprise. Blake’s ears pressed against her head as she blushed in embarrassment. “Wanted it to be a surprise but…” Her ears pricked forward as she recovered from her own admission, her smile shifting into a smirk. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I wasn’t- I was- Ugh!” Yang threw her hands up in exasperation, starting to walk away from her to get ready for sparring. She heard Blake follow behind her, her giggle reaching her ears. Yang couldn’t help the small smile that slipped out at the sound.

Maybe she _was_ jealous, but she realised right then that she didn’t need to be. She and Blake had something special growing, and wherever it lead them, Yang knew that Blake would be by her side for as long as possible.

Blake promised, and she trusted that with her whole heart.


	2. Date (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: ruby and weiss go on a date
> 
> premise: beacon days, if everything didn't go to shit basically

“Um, Weiss?”

Weiss pressed her fingers to her temples at the sound of Ruby’s voice, but it wasn’t because the girl was unwelcome. It was because of the raging headache she had developed from all the studying she had been doing. She was going on two hours now, and all the information was cramming into her head.

“What?” She replied, and she continued to scribble notes down into her book as she heard a shuffle to her left, saw Ruby sit down on the edge of Weiss’ bed in the corner of her eye. Normally, she’d tell her to get in her own bed, not to ruffle her covers too much, but Weiss was too exhausted and drained from studying to care this time. Plus, lately, when Ruby did usually annoying things to her, or around her, it didn’t… Get to her as much it used to. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but she had pushed the thoughts away as soon as she thought of them.

“I was just wondering when you’ll be done?” Ruby piped up, the smile evident in her tone when she spoke. Weiss sighed in response, leaning back in her chair and cracking her back, frowning at her notes. She shrugged.

“I still have some things to jot down, so I don’t know.” Weiss replied. She glanced at Ruby, noticing the cute pout adorning the girl’s lips. Weiss raised an eyebrow, allowing the brief distraction from her painful studying, twisting her body in her chair to face Ruby. She crossed her leg over the other, hands clasped on her knee. “What do you want?” She prodded.

Ruby perked up, leaning forward and pressing her hands on her own thighs, bouncing on the bed in excitement.

“Well…” She drew out the word for dramatic effect. “Blake and Yang are out tonight, something about, ‘Partner bonding’” Ruby shrugged at that, and Weiss rolled her eyes. Yeah, she knew what partner bonding meant for those two. “Anyway, it gave me an idea! We should do some of that. There’s a new movie I wanted to see, and I was wondering if you wanted to come?” Ruby beamed at her, awaiting her reply.

Weiss pursed her lips and glanced at her notes, before returning her gaze to Ruby.

“I don’t think so. I should really do this.” She pointed to her notebook, before smiling apologetically and turning her body to her original position, picking up her pen. “Maybe Jaune or Penny can join you.”

There was a beat of silence, before Ruby stood up from the bed and came over, flopping herself over Weiss’ desk and covering her page. Weiss sputtered, glaring at the back of the girl’s head from where her face was pressed into the desk.

“Ruby!” She chided, and Ruby turned her head to the side, looking up at Weiss with the softest puppy-dog eyes ever, and a pout to join it. Weiss blinked and cleared her throat, glancing away to avoid that look. Ruby was too cute for her own good, and _gods_ , if Weiss kept looking into those silver eyes she would certainly cave.

“Weissssss.” Ruby whined childishly, poking Weiss in the stomach. Weiss yelped, covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed red, returning her glare to Ruby.

“Ruby, enough. Please, remove yourself from my desk so I can-”

“But you’ve been doing this forever! You deserve a break. And…” Ruby trailed off, and Weiss raised a scarred eyebrow at her in question. Ruby’s cheeks tinted pink as she shrugged, her fingers tapping against the wood of the desk nervously. “And I don’t know… Maybe this could, ummm, be a date, or something?”

Weiss blinked, allowing her pen to slip from her fingers slowly. It clicked against the wood of the desk, and as Weiss leaned back in her chair, Ruby finally straightened back up, standing next to Weiss’ chair. She fiddled with her fingers when Weiss looked up at her.

“A date?” Weiss said, confusion and… Was that nervousness as well? She couldn’t tell exactly, but whatever it was, she stamped it down. She stared at Ruby as the girl’s cheeks darkened and she nodded, moving her hands to clutch her cloak, fiddling with that now, instead of her own fingers.

“Yeah! Um, yes, a date. Yang told me that’s what it would be? S-So, um… I guess, it could be a date? If you want.” Ruby was visibly nervous now, but she tried to muster up a bright smile towards Weiss, hoping she looked at least a little bit charming.

Weiss’ eyes immediately darkened, a frown forming on her lips. “Yang put you up to this, then? Of course she would do that. Next time I see her, I’m sending Arma Gigas after her.” Weiss growled, a mix of annoyance, embarrassment and… Sadness? At how Yang convinced Ruby to do this. Of course Ruby didn’t want to her to come, she didn’t want this to be a _date_ , it was all Yang’s-

“No, no! Weiss, she didn’t- ah, she didn’t do that.” Ruby quickly intruded her upsetting thoughts, her hands reaching out to touch Weiss’ shoulders. Weiss stiffened at first, still getting used to how touchy Ruby was, but she gradually relaxed under her touch, eyes flitting up to meet Ruby’s. Ruby squeezed her shoulders in comfort. “I want you to come. I never even thought of anyone else to ask.”

That made Weiss pause.

“You didn’t?” Weiss questioned, looking at her in disbelief. Ruby grinned and pulled her hands away, straightening up again.

“Course not. You’re my partner, Weiss. You’re… My best friend. You’re always my first choice.” Ruby voice was so soft, so gentle and full of affection and Weiss swallowed thickly, gulping down the thread of emotion building in her throat. She gripped the hem of the skirt of her uniform, casting her eyes towards her notebook in an attempt to calm her heartbeat.

Weiss bit her lip and chewed on it thoughtfully while Ruby stood there patiently. It surprised her just how patient she was being- usually Ruby would be dragging her out the door at this point, fed up with waiting. Weiss thought deeply for another moment, wondering how she really felt about this being classified as a date. She’s never really been on one, she didn’t know the rules or the protocol of a date, and Weiss thrived on rules, lived on procedure. 

Weiss parted her lips and let out a soft sigh. She… Didn’t hate the idea of it being a date, she concluded. Ruby was nice company, and Weiss always found herself being the most comfortable around her. She always found Ruby’s presence calming, in a way, and she brought her out of her shell more.

So, with these points in mind, Weiss nodded to herself and suddenly stood up, closing her notebook and turning to face Ruby. Ruby stood at attention, back straight and eyes wide.

“I’ll accompany you to the movies, Ruby.” Weiss stated, and Ruby immediately beamed at her. Weiss felt heat on her cheeks, and she swiftly turned and walked over to her wardrobe, rummaging through it. “Let me get changed first, and then… It’s a date.” She tacked on those three words as an afterthought, but the quiet gasp she heard behind her and then the smell of rose petals suggested that it excited Ruby, at least, and that she was hurrying to get ready herself.

The thought made Weiss smile against her will.

About half an hour later, Weiss found herself stood in line outside of the movie theatre, dressed in simple yet nice attire. It was an outfit she had brought back from Atlas, one that she enjoyed wearing around the manor, but thought it would be nice to bring to school to wear outside of class. It was a little dress, stopping about mid-thigh. She had a white ribbon around her stomach, and a window above her chest that showed off a little skin. Her braid flowed down her back as usual, and she felt quite pretty to say the least.

Ruby… Looked like Ruby. Same hair, just a little longer with the tips hitting her shoulders now, and she upgraded her corset and combat boots not that long ago, looking similar to her original outfit but slightly more polished, which she now wore. She also had on her signature cloak.

Weiss thought she looked beautiful, though, and the thought of how her heart stuttered in her chest when Ruby took her hand to lead her into the theatre scared her the tiniest bit.

They sat close to the back and shared one bucket of popcorn. Ruby had bought them both drinks as well, much to Weiss’ chagrin and protests, but Ruby had just smiled that dorky smile and said not to worry about it.

“Thank me later.” She had said, and Weiss was going to hold her to that.

Throughout the movie, Weiss found herself keeping tabs on anything Ruby did. She used her peripheral vision to watch her as she drank her drink, shifted in her seat, stuck her hand in the bucket to get more popcorn- it didn’t matter what it was. Now that Weiss was fully aware this was meant to be taken as a date, it made her more nervous.

There was one point during the movie, though, where the two main characters were battling, back to back as more hordes of enemies surrounded them both. It looked pretty dire, and Weiss had become so invested that she barely registered when something soft touched her hand in the bucket of popcorn. But she felt the slightest brush against her pointer finger, and she paused, her head turning to look at Ruby on her right.

Ruby was already looking at her, and Weiss glanced to the popcorn, slowly realising that their hands were touching. They had held hands plenty of times before this moment, so it wasn’t anything new, but the feelings that arose from that one little brush… _That_ was new.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach, and she felt a pang of disappointment when Ruby retracted her hand from the bucket, a light blush on her cheeks being shown when a flash from the movie lit up her face in the dark. Weiss pulled her hand out as well, laying it on the arm rest between them.

“Sorry.” Ruby whispered. Weiss bit her lip, glancing down at Ruby’s hand, now settled in her lap instead of anywhere near Weiss. She deduced that Ruby was just as nervous as she was, which gave her a bit more comfort than previously. She took a deep breath, and in a leap of faith that was very unlike her in these situations, she reached out and timidly brushed her hand against Ruby’s. Ruby snapped her eyes over to her in surprise, her silver eyes glowing in the shadow of the theatre.

Weiss said nothing. All she did was turn Ruby’s hand over in her lap and press it against her own, interlocking their fingers and raising their hands to rest on the arm rest together. Ruby blinked and flickered her eyes between Weiss’ face and their hands, movie completely forgotten in that moment.

Weiss sent a smile that she hoped was nice and not overflowing with how nervous she felt. Eventually, Ruby relaxed and shyly smiled back, her thumb brushing Weiss’ soft skin on her hand. Weiss felt a shiver go down her spine, and she realised right then and there that, yes, something was different with them.

But different didn’t mean bad.

When the movie was over, their hands stayed locked together as they exited the theatre together. They stayed linked all the back to the dorm, their chatter nonexistent as they just fell into a comfortable silence, no words needing to be said. When they entered the dorm room, Weiss turned to Ruby after noticing that Blake and Yang still weren’t back yet.

“Partner bonding clearly takes a long time with those two.” Weiss said, in an attempt to joke- something very uncommon for her, but her nerves were starting to spike up again as their date came to an end. She had read books, and watched movies where the characters would usually… Kiss after a date. She wasn’t entirely sure if she should do that, or if Ruby even wanted that, so she just stayed still in her spot as Ruby giggled at her joke.

“Not as long as us!” Ruby said cheerily, swinging their hands in between their bodies. Weiss let out a lopsided smile at her, the one that was only reserved and seen by Ruby and Ruby alone. Ruby looked into her eyes, and Weiss only just barely had to look up at her now, the girl having grown taller than before. The slight childish part of her hated that Ruby was taller than her now, and she pushed back the urge to pout at that thought.

Her attention was stolen by a soft, wet feeling on her left cheek, just under her scar. Weiss’ eyes widened, cheeks flaring up in a blush when Ruby pulled away, the kiss she left on her cheek lingering there, a tingly feeling spreading throughout Weiss’ body. Ruby smiled softly at her, her cheeks equally as red.

“Thanks for coming with me, Weiss. I had fun… Um, I hope that was okay, by the way.” Ruby said, gesturing to Weiss’ cheek, referring to the kiss. Weiss blinked a few times, regaining her composure and slowly nodding, and it seemed to comfort Ruby slightly, because the tension leaked out of her shoulders a bit. “Okay, cool. Um… Maybe we can go out again another time, b-but not as.. just partners, if that’s okay.” Ruby’s voice squeaked up at the end, and Weiss watched her scramble for more words. “Meaning, uh, I-I’d like it to be date next time too… If that’s something you want.” 

Weiss averted her eyes to look out the window for a minute, mind reeling from the night’s events. She realised tonight that her feelings for her leader weren’t.. Entirely platonic anymore. And she was comforted by the fact that the same could be said for Ruby. They were both raised in ways that prevented them from understanding love fully, from understanding dates and crushes. Weiss in a lonely manor, with barely any family to support her except Winter, but she had left her too. And then Ruby, who had to grow up too fast when her mother passed away, and had to attend a school where she skipped ahead, being the youngest one here. It was hard for the both of them to fully understand these types of things.

This was new for Ruby, new for _her_ , but…

Weiss looked back into shining silver eyes, her ‘Ruby smile’ on display again.

“I would like that.” Weiss said, and the overjoyed look and smile on Ruby’s face was completely worth it.

They were a bit clumsy, a bit inexperienced and this thing was new and different between them and it would probably take a bit of time.

But Weiss had learned to be a bit more patient, and she wouldn’t ask for anyone else to be learning all this with.


	3. Clingy (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: clingy!blake
> 
> premise: when they stay at terra and saphrons in vol 6, the night before the big plan

“Alright, guys. We need to get some sleep before tomorrow. We have a crazy plan to execute.” 

Yang chuckled at Maria’s words, and watched as some people shuffled upstairs, while others stuck around the living room, extra sleeping bags littering the floor from Saphron and Terra’s storage in the house. She was grateful they had enough room to stay there, and she made a mental note to thank them in the morning.

But at that moment, she was dead tired, so she yawned and stood up from the couch, stretching her arms above her head and cracking her joints. Ruby had laid down on the couch opposite her, and once Blake stood up next to her as well, Oscar grinned sheepishly at them before stretching himself out on the other couch.

Yang sent a wave to Ruby in a form of goodnight, and started making her way towards the stairs. A hand caught her wrist though, stopping her just next to the staircase. She turned, eyebrows furrowing when she saw Blake behind her, ears flat on her head and eyes cast downwards, fingers wrapped around her wrist gently.

“I know I’m getting a sleeping bag down here, and you have one upstairs, and I-I know it might be uncomfortable, but…” Blake stepped closer, both hands closing around Yang’s wrist as she raised her eyes, looking into lilac. “Can I… Join you?”

Yang glanced around at everyone else in the room, but they weren’t paying them any attention. Ruby, Oscar, Ren and Nora were down here, Nora and Ren sharing a sleeping bag. Saphron and Terra were in their own double bed in their room upstairs, and Maria was given the spare room that had the only other bed in the house. Which was only fair.

Yang didn’t know where her uncle Qrow was, but she knew at some point he’d find somewhere to sleep, as he always did- even if said places weren’t meant for sleeping. Jaune had laid his sleeping bag down in Maria’s room since it was big enough, which left Yang with the smallest spare room upstairs, which was normally Adrian’s nursery, but Terra moved him into their room to give her a bit more space in that room, but it wasn’t much.

Yang pursed her lips in thought, glancing down to Blake’s hands around her wrist, her skin feeling hot under her touch. She… Still wasn’t sure where she stood with her, but after the Apathy… She realised that she didn’t want to lose Blake again. She felt that pushing her away was just going to hurt even more, and right now, maybe Blake was feeling the same.

Yang finally let out a soft smile, looking into Blake’s eyes as she nodded.

“Of course.” She said, and Blake’s ears pricked forward in response, a happy little smile adorning her lips as they walked upstairs together.

What Yang didn’t realise she agreed to, though, was a very, very, _very_ , clingy kitty. Because once they had reached the little room and Yang closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh of exhaustion, Blake was on her again.

Yang flinched as furry ears tickled her jaw, her eyes glancing down to the top of Blake’s head that was now shoved into her neck. She breathed out a laugh, still unsure of how much physical contact she was comfortable with.

“Blake?” Yang said gently, and the faunus’ ears drooped down, her head lifting up from its place to gaze into Yang’s eyes. She looked slightly nervous, like back on the train when she tried so hard to help Yang with her bag. Yang looked at her curiously, and Blake linked their arms together.

“Sorry.” Blake murmured, barely above a whisper. “If it’s too much, let me know, I just…” Blake bit her lip, chewing on it thoughtfully before sighing, her shoulders sinking slightly as she looked down at her feet. “I can’t stop thinking about the Apathy, about those people at that farm, the bodies and… How close we were to- to-” Blake cut herself off, shaking her head and clinging harder to Yang’s side. Yang immediately wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into her chest. Blake shuddered against her and nuzzled her head into Yang’s neck as Yang ran her hand up and down her back.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… I think about it too.” Yang mumbled into her hair, between her ears. They twitched in response, and Blake just hummed into her neck, the vibrations sending a warmth through Yang’s body.

“Is this why you’re, uh, being kinda clingy right now?” Yang said, a bit tentatively due to the subject matter, but at Blake’s light chuckle, she relaxed a little and continued her soft motions on Blake’s back.

“Yeah, it’s part of it. I’m also just… Naturally clingy with people I trust.” Blake admitted shyly, seemingly burying her head deeper into Yang’s neck. “People I really care about.” She tacked on after, her lips almost brushing Yang’s neck as she spoke. Yang sucked in a breath in response to this, cheeks flushing as Blake’s arms circled her midsection.

“People you care about?” Yang asked, hoping that she masked the waver in her voice. She wasn’t sure if she did it well or not, because Blake never mentioned it, but instead she lifted her head, sending Yang a sweet smile.

“Yeah.” She said simply. 

Yang nodded slowly, a timid smile blooming on her lips as she did so. After a bit, she attempted to shift them over towards the sleeping bag, but Blake tightened her hold on her, keeping her in place. Yang snickered, playful smirk forming on her face. It was crazy how well they fit together- how easily they had slipped back into this sort of banter. It still didn’t make everything a hundred percent okay between them yet, and Yang was still hesitant, but in her heart she knew that things were going back to a good place. Blake was back with them again, she was staying, and one night of clingy and cuddly Blake wasn’t going to be the end of everything.

“If I knew you were _this_ clingy, I would have said no before.” Yang joked, and Blake giggled- which was just adorable and sweet to Yang. Blake lifted her shoulders in a shrug, keeping her arms around her.

“You’re a smart girl. You can find a way to get us over there.” Blake teased, pressing herself against her and laying her head on her shoulder. Yang sighed in mock annoyance, rolling her eyes fondly as she took hold of Blake, laughing with her as she shuffled them slowly over to the sleeping bag.

She knelt them down and then shifted them along the bag, pulling it open to slip them both inside. It was a very tight fit, and Yang felt and heard the zipper rip a tiny bit as they settled against each other. She didn’t care though, and with someone clinging so hard to her body and tucking their head under her chin, she would just have to deal with it.

“Happy?” Yang grumbled, but there was no real annoyance in her tone. Blake knew that, so she just hummed in content, snuggling closer and nodding.

“Very.” She replied, and Yang sighed deeply, grinning and closing her eyes, ready for sleep to take her.

They had a long way to go, and Adam was still out there somewhere, and he haunted both of their minds every minute. But that night, in the cozy home of the Cotta-Arcs, with Blake clinging to her, Yang’s worries washed away for a moment.

They would be back, and the next day she would have a rude awakening with the colour red, would have to fight tooth and nail for black and yellow to be free once and for all.

But for now, she would just sleep. And be content with a cuddly kitten tucked into her side.


	4. Kiss Me Again (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: from a prompt list on tumblr, which was "kiss me again"
> 
> premise: spoilers for volume 7. this takes places during the recent chapter where they're evacuating mantle

Blake sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. Her lungs were aching as her breaths came out short and choppy, the rumbling under her feet almost knocking her over several times. She glanced behind her, ears pricking forward on her head as the giant, mammoth like Grimm stomped after her, a few smaller Grimm flanking it.

She grunted and looked forward again, shooting one of the smaller Grimm when it leapt at her, and using several of her clones to trick and deal with the rest of them. It was just her and the mammoth now, and it was gaining on her fast.

She pumped her legs just a bit more and with a wave of relief, jumped out of the way at the last second, rolling and landing on her feet, watching as Elm grabbed its large tusks, using her semblance to keep her feet solid on the ground. She held it in place as Yang slid underneath it, popping some explosives into its belly.

Yang slid on her knees and whirled around at the last minute.

“Now!” She yelled, and Elm threw the beast into the air. Yang stood up and activated Ember Celica, all three of them watching as it was torn apart in the air, finally defeated.

Everyone breathed heavily for a few seconds, catching their breath after the exchange with that massive Grimm. Blake’s ears flicked up when she heard movement from behind her. She spun around and saw people hidden behind a destroyed car, and she motioned to them, waving her hand.

“Head to the nearest shelter!” Blake ordered them, and the people ran away immediately. Blake watched them go, her ear twitching when she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

“Those shelters are going to fill up soon.” Yang said breathlessly, coming up next to her to look at her. Blake glanced at her, both of them conveying the concern they had through their eye contact. Blake opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Elm.

“They’re all we’ve got. We’ve just got to hold off the Grimm.” Elm said firmly, turning to look at some of them approaching. Elm quickly dispatched of the two that tried to get close, and there was a moment of calm once again as she turned around to look at the two. “One of you stay with me and take care of these beasts. The other search around these alleys and see if there are any more stragglers that need help. We’ll meet back up here when the transport comes. Go!” Elm ordered, and with that, she took off down the street, where Blake and Yang could see some more Grimm piling up.

“I’ll go with her, okay? Look for more survivors.” Yang said, looking into Blake’s eyes. Blake had a protest on the tip of her tongue, and she desperately wanted to tell Yang not to go. A bunch of thoughts shot through her mind and too many ugly scenarios she didn’t like were brought to her attention.

Yang placed a hand on Blake’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. We can’t give up.” Yang whispered to her, and Blake took a deep breath and averted her eyes, slowly nodding her head. “Splitting up isn’t something I want to do, but Mantle needs our help, so I think we should listen to Elm.” Yang said, a pained tone to her voice. “Just this once.”

“Yeah… Yeah, I know.” Blake said, reaching up to lay her hand over Yang’s on her shoulder. She squeezed her hand, and she fought the whimper in her throat when Yang pulled away, her warmth fading as she started to run after Elm.

Blake chewed on her lip and felt an anxious pull in her stomach, a wild flurry of emotions telling her to yell at her to stop, to make her come back and stay with her instead. Who knows what could happen to either of them during this fight?She trusted Yang wholeheartedly, and she was an amazing fighter, but there was a tug at Blake’s heart as she heard her running away.

Beacon had fell, Haven _almost_ fell. And now Mantle was getting the same treatment. 

What if she lost Yang for good?

Blake swiftly turned around to look at Yang’s retreating form. If she waited any longer she would miss this chance.

“Yang, wait!” Blake yelled after her, and Yang immediately stopped in her tracks, Blake quickly walking closer to her as she was turning around. Her eyes were questioning and her face was full of worry now, as if something was wrong with Blake, and not the whole city of Mantle around them.

“What? What’s wr-”

Blake cut her off with her lips, curling her hands around Yang’s neck to pull her closer. Yang’s surprised gasp was muffled by Blake’s mouth pressing into hers, and Yang’s hands flew to her waist on instinct.

Blake waited a few seconds, soaking in the sensation of Yang’s soft lips, not even really moving hers the whole duration of those seconds. She waited until Yang’s mind was caught up, waited for her to move first.

It took a bit, but Yang’s grip eventually tightened on her waist, and her unfairly smooth lips finally started to move against hers. Blake exhaled sharply through her nose, tilting her head to a better angle. It was completely ill timed, a little messy, their emotions were all over the place, but Blake wondered briefly why they hadn’t done this much sooner.

She wouldn’t regret doing it now, and she would never regret being able to feel Yang’s body this close, to taste her lips, to have her heart jump all around in her chest with how amazing it was. She lightly dug her nails into the back of Yang’s neck, her teeth gently and barely biting down on Yang’s bottom lip, causing her to whimper against her lips.

With that sound, Blake decided to finally pull away, much to her disappointment. They breathed heavily, breaths mingling together. Blake opened her eyes first, focusing on Yang- Yang with her eyes still closed and a serene expression on her face. Blake swallowed thickly, watching in anticipation as Yang blinked her eyes open, seemingly remembering where they were and what was going on. She looked at Blake, eyes still a little unfocused as she raised a hand, finger trailing along the lip that Blake bit.

“Um… I… U-Uh, huh?” Yang said dumbly, and Blake’s ears drooped slightly, giggling at her reaction. Yang cracked a grin, hand leaving her lip to rub the back of her neck. “Uh.. Wow, um.. I’m sorry I’m a little taken off guard right now.”

Blake laughed a little again and nodded, biting her lip. 

“I’m sorry, I just… It’s cliche and I know you’re capable on your own… But in case something happens, I needed to do that before it did.” Blake said, and Yang made full eye contact with her, hand lifting to cup her cheek.

“I’ll be okay.” Yang replied with conviction, gentle smile on her face. Blake touched the hand on her cheek, lip quirking up in a small smile back at her. Yang cleared her throat and bit her lip, Blake’s eyes snapping to it. “But, kiss me again, and I should definitely, _for sure_ be okay-”

“The passionate love of youth is beautiful, but I’m gonna need a hand over here very soon!” Elm cut into their conversation, voice booming down the street to get their attention. They jumped away from each other, whipping their heads over to where Elm was, the woman battling with a couple beowolves. Yang looked back at Blake with an apologetic smile, and Blake gestured towards Elm, ignoring the sinking feeling when Yang started backing away from her.

“Later?” Yang asked, and Blake also began to back away, towards the other end of the street to begin her search for more stragglers. She nodded once in her direction.

“Later.” Blake said, and with that, they turned their backs on each other and went opposite ways, with different tasks. They would have time later.

And Blake would probably take Yang up on that offer of kissing her again. 

Okay, she definitely will. 


	5. Anger (Prismatic Ponytails)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: another list on tumblr, so the prompt was "anger" and "how is this my fault?" for ilia and weiss. i don't entirely ship this ship, but i gave it a shot for the person that asked.
> 
> premise: team rwby has traveled to vacuo, and ilia has been hanging there with sun and neptune

“Ahhh, the sun feels great, doesn’t it?”

Weiss scowled at Yang’s words, crossing her arms and glancing at the girl. Blake nodded in agreement with her, while Ruby was busy talking to her uncle some ways ahead of the three of them. 

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Weiss caught their attention, her hand gesturing to her whole body, most of it exposed to the hot air due to the light blue and white sun dress she wore. “ _Some_ of us aren’t built for a sun as hot as this.”

Yang snorted and waved a hand in dismissal, before she rummaged around inside her travel bag at her feet. Weiss barely had time to react as she threw a bottle of sunscreen at her, a gasp escaping her lips in surprise.

“Here, just… You know, use a lot of it.” Yang threw her a thumbs up, and Weiss grumbled as she started to do just that- rubbing sunscreen all over her body as the trio started to walk a bit more ahead, catching up with Ruby and Qrow. As the group started to walk along one of the many beaches in Vacuo, they were approaching one of several resorts lined on the beach. Blake pointed at one, ears pricked forward in interest.

“I think this is the one Sun said to meet him at.” Blake said, and Weiss took note of the tension in Yang’s shoulders for a second. She noticed the line between her eyebrows, and Blake must have noticed too, because while she didn’t say anything, she linked their arms together and continued walking. Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed, levelling her eyes with the resort that was getting closer.

“Neptune’s going to be there.” Blake commented offhandedly, and Weiss felt her eyes move to the side of her face. Weiss felt her pink cheeks heat up, but not for the reasons that Blake was probably thinking. No, she had come to terms with the fact that Neptune was never someone she liked romantically- it was just infatuation with him, someone she thought _maybe_ could like her for who she was. But no, she realised not long after that that wasn’t the case. Rather, her cheeks turned pink due to the fact that last time she had ever properly talked to him was when she was throwing herself at him like a child. So, yeah, pretty awkward.

“Is Ilia going to be there too?” Yang said this, and her tone didn’t sound particularly happy about that either. Blake raised an eyebrow at her tone, and Weiss looked at the pair, eyebrow also raised. She had heard a little bit about Ilia from Blake- how her parents had died in that mine back in Atlas, which was a result of her father. She remembered meeting her briefly back before they left on the Argus, and she was pleasant enough. Though, she didn’t talk much with her, and people can change a lot when they have time away for themselves.

She had also learned, since she was in the same room as her and Yang when they were discussing this topic, that Ilia had been in love with Blake for a very long time.

No wonder Yang was on edge a little bit. Weiss knew from way over here how much Blake and Yang cared for each other and, well, she couldn’t blame Yang for being wary when _two_ of Blake’s previous potential suitors were about to come into contact with her again after so long.

“Look alive, kiddos. We’re here.” Qrow interrupted her thought process and brought her attention to the resort in front of them. It loomed above them, stretching just as wide, and looked stunning from the outside. Weiss couldn’t wait to see the inside, and she also couldn’t wait to flop into her bed and nap. It had been a long airship _and_ boat ride to get here, after all. 

“Blakey!” A loud, excited voice floated through the double doors of the resort, and soon after a certain blonde haired monkey flew through it as well, almost tackling Blake into a hug. “You’re here!”

“Sun.” Blake laughed and hugged him back, and Weiss contained the unattractive snort that wanted to fall from her lips at the distaste on Yang’s face. Sun pulled away and said hello to everyone else, gesturing towards the resort.

“I’m workin’ here now!” Sun said, hands on his hips in pride. “Team SSSN is on hold right now, but if you ever need anything, let me know. My team and I are with you.” Sun said with a nod, and before anyone could say anything, Neptune also came outside from the resort.

“Dude, you can’t just up and leave your post whenever you want.” Neptune lectured, but it was in a joking manner. Sun let out a “pfft” before jumping back towards Neptune, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Dude, look who’s here!” Sun waved his hand towards everyone. “You know I had to welcome them with this beautiful face and never ending charm.” He sent finger guns towards his friend, to which Neptune just sighed and rolled his eyes. 

His eyes caught Weiss’, and that blush from earlier came back as he waved at her. She waved back timidly, praying in her mind that he wouldn’t talk to her specifically. Neptune was nice, but she really would rather not dwell on the past, and how childish she was back then. It was best to move on from all that, and it seemed to her that Neptune thought the same, when his eyes strayed and he started a conversation with Qrow, who looked less than enthused. 

“Do I need to do _everything_ around here?” 

Blake’s ears perked up at this voice, and Weiss also was intrigued. It was female, and it was pretty sharp with the words that were said, but also had an air of lightheartedness to it.

Weiss watched as Ilia emerged from inside the resort, playful smirk on her lips. She wore a black tank top with some shorts and black shoes, and her ponytail was as long as ever flowing down her back. Weiss pursed her lips as Blake smiled at her friend, the two of them throwing their arms around each other.

“Ilia.” Blake said, and Ilia pulled back from her, bright smile on her face and a light pink tone to the spots on her face.

“It’s great to see you, and to see your team again.” Ilia said, looking at Ruby, Yang, and then Weiss herself. Weiss wasn’t sure, but it seemed like her gaze lingered on her a fraction longer than the others, but before she could investigate that thought, Ilia was looking at Blake again.

“I know you’re here on official Team RWBY business.” Ilia joked. “But, it’d be nice to catch up, you know? Spend some time here and relax.” Ilia glanced at Weiss once more, which confused Weiss a little, but then Ilia was backing up towards the resort, beckoning everyone inside. “Come on, us three can show you to your rooms.”

With that, the group followed Ilia, Sun and Neptune inside the resort. Neptune was still chatting Qrow’s ear off, the poor man, and Sun was on Blake’s right side, walking with her and catching up with her. Yang was on her left, and seemed to be trying her very best to ignore it. 

“Need help with your bag?” Ilia’s voice cut into Weiss’ thoughts, and she jumped a little, whipping her head around to look at her. Ilia’s spots were a light pink again, and she pointed down to Weiss’ luggage that was wheeling behind her, a small, welcoming smile on her face. Weiss blinked, glancing at everyone else as they walked past them, paying attention to their own things.

Weiss cleared her throat and took a breath, lightly smiling back.

“Um, no thanks, no need to worry about that.” Weiss said. Ilia’s spots darkened a tiny bit, and she scratched the back of her head before shrugging her shoulders, stepping a bit closer.

“It’s no trouble, really.” Ilia said in a small voice, and Weiss watched as she grabbed the handle of Weiss’ luggage, glancing up to look into her eyes. Weiss blinked in response, slight confusion on her face.

“Ilia, you really don’t have to-”

“Look.” Ilia cut her off, and Weiss was surprised at the look of determination in her eyes. “It’s… Hard for me to differentiate you and your father sometimes.” Ilia said softly, glancing ahead of them to the others to see them waiting for the elevator, talking amongst themselves. Weiss felt a pang in her heart at her words. “Because you… _He_ , was the cause of it. At the dust mine.”

“I-”

“And it sucks. It sucks that when I look at you, I’m seeing him. Because I know Blake would never associate with someone so terrible, and I know in my heart you aren’t.” Ilia cut her off again, determined to finish what her thought was. Weiss clenched her jaw, itching to say something to defend herself a little, to explain how she really felt about her father.

“I bet you’re thinking right now, ‘Why is she doing this right now? How is this _my_ fault?’“ Ilia said, taking on a harder tone as she said it. Ilia paused after that, taking a deep breath, Weiss remaining silent as her eyes met hers. She could see a light red hue to her spots, and Weiss felt that that meant there was some anger there. But it started to fade when Ilia looked into her eyes again, and Ilia let out another breath, slow and steady.

“It isn’t your fault.” Ilia finally said, to Weiss’ surprise. “The old me would never have come to that conclusion, but Blake helped me all that time ago- she helped me realise a lot of things.” Ilia said, her gaze wandering to look at the back of Blake’s head. Weiss followed her gaze and sighed lightly.

“But the person I am now, isn’t who I was back then.” Ilia mused, and Weiss flinched when she felt her fingers brush hers. It was an odd feeling, considering they were barely friends, but for some reason, Weiss didn’t hate it. Weiss glanced down at their hands, before meeting Ilia’s eyes. “And I’m willing to bet the same for you too, Weiss. I… Hope we can be friends. If Blake trusts you, then I’m willing to trust you too.”

Ilia fell silent after she was finished, and Weiss looked between her eyes for a minute. Her spots were a regular colour now, so Weiss had no indication of her inner feelings in that moment.

“I’m not my father.” Weiss finally said, and Ilia’s lip quirked up in a hint of a smile. “But I apologise on his behalf. I’m sorry for… All the awful things my family has done. I want to do whatever I can to… Make up for it.” Weiss’ voice turned soft, and Ilia’s smile grew a bit at her words, the girl nodding once at her.

“I feel like you’ve already started to. I heard from Blake in a letter about how you straight up arrested him!” Ilia said, a light laugh escaping her lips. Weiss couldn’t help but crack a grin at the nice sound, sighing and rolling her eyes jovially. 

“It was my proudest moment.” Weiss replied, and Ilia laughed once more before she gripped Weiss’ luggage handle tighter this time, wheeling it behind her as she walked ahead of Weiss. Weiss followed after her, Ilia turning her head just slightly to look over her shoulder.

“I feel like we’ll get along well, Weiss Schnee.” Ilia said, and Weiss breathed out a laugh, continuing to follow Ilia towards the elevator with the rest of the group.

Weiss was complicit of so many things her family had done, and there was a time that she didn’t care much about others. But she had changed since then, and she knew now that she couldn’t stand by and let things happen for her anymore. Jacques Schnee remained behind bars, and Weiss was with her friends in Vacuo.

And it seems that maybe she’ll make one more friend here after all.


	6. You're So Adorable (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: list on tumblr, so the prompts were "bliss" and "you're so adorable!"
> 
> premise: more beacon days fluff, set a bit after the infamous scene where weiss gives ruby coffee

Weiss barely bat an eye when the door to the dorm room slammed open. With both Ruby _and_ Yang as part of her team now, she had gotten used to how loud both of them could be. She appreciated Blake a lot more in these instances, because that girl was even quieter than Weiss. Almost _too_ quiet.

“Weiss!” Ruby shouted, and Weiss winced when the girl slammed her hands onto her desk, making her pens and pencils almost fall to the floor from the force. Weiss took a deep, calming breath, before plastering a smile on her face to look at her leader.

“Yes, Ruby?” Weiss said, Ruby taking her attention away from her homework. Ruby grinned at her and held up a finger as if to say ‘wait’. Weiss raised an eyebrow, huffing in annoyance when Ruby flew out of the room. Weiss laid her pencil down and leaned back in her chair, clenching her jaw when a flurry of rose petals flew back into the room. “Ruby, what are you even do-”

“I got you something!” Ruby cut her off, and in any normal situation between the two, Weiss would have reprimanded her for doing so, as it was unbecoming and rude. But what Ruby said gave her pause, and both of her brows rose in surprise as something unidentifiable flurried in her stomach.

“What?” Weiss replied, confusion lacing her tone. Ruby beamed at her, and Weiss noticed now that when she came back in the room, her body had become a bit more tense, and both of her hands were behind her back, shielding something.

“You were really nice to me the other night, you know, when you made me coffee!” Ruby said, and Weiss shifted in her seat, averting her eyes with that statement. “And, you know, I wanted to do something for you too… I guess, to thank you!”

Weiss glanced up at her, Ruby now biting her lip and chewing on it, anticipating her reaction. Weiss really didn’t give her one just yet, remaining stoic, meanwhile her heart was doing weird jumping jacks over this whole thing. She’d have to investigate that at a later date maybe.

“And?” Weiss prompted, and Ruby jumped at her tone, eyes widening slightly.

“Right, ummm, hm… I wanted to say thanks, for being a good- no, no.. A _great_ teammate and partner!” Ruby stammered, before ungracefully shoving an object into Weiss’ hands, the force almost sending her flying out of her chair. Weiss grumbled under her breath at the action, before sighing deeply and looking at what was handed to her.

It was a heavy object, but not very big. It was wrapped in red and white paper, very crudely and not at all professionally, so Weiss figured that Ruby tried to do it herself. The thought made her lip quirk up in the hint of a smile, and without any more hesitation, she started unwrapping the gift.

It took a couple more minutes than necessary, because Weiss was meticulous and careful with the wrapping, even if it was done poorly. Ruby had put thought into it, anyway.

“I really hope you like it, Weiss…” Ruby said softly, the girl clutching at her cloak and playing with it, nervously watching Weiss slowly unwrap the gift. Weiss hummed in response, finally getting to the last bit of paper and unwrapping the gift fully. The paper fell to the floor, and Weiss gasped softly under her breath, holding the object up higher, level with her face.

It was a mug. But it wasn’t just a plain old mug, Weiss soon realised as she turned the object around in her hands. She stopped and stared at the simple, yet elegant and significant symbol on the front of the mug. The whole thing was just plain white for the most part, but this symbol wasn’t.

“It’s um… You know, us.” Ruby said quickly, as if Weiss didn’t understand. Weiss rolled her eyes and looked up at her with a look that read ‘yeah, duh’ and Ruby’s cheeks turned pink, the girl smiling awkwardly at her. Weiss looked down at the symbol on the mug, studying it more. There was a red rose on it, acting as the middle of a snowflake, the tips of said snowflake pointing out around the rose. The tips were accented with a shade of blue, to be seen better with the white of the rest of the mug.

It was beautiful, and even though it may seem simple to some people, it wasn’t simple to Weiss. It was a symbol- of friendship, of a partnership, of a bond, of…

Weiss halted her thoughts, not entirely sure herself where they were going to go. Ruby was still standing in front of her, waiting impatiently for her reaction or answer, if her bouncing toes were anything to go by. Weiss licked her lips and parted them, voice lowering to a whisper, as if only speaking for herself.

“You’re so adorable.” Weiss murmured, a small smile blooming on her face as she admired the mug, shaking her head a little at Ruby, and how damn sweet she really was. Weiss had really misjudged her for far too long.

“Huh?” Ruby replied, eyebrows pulling together in confusion. Weiss froze, realising that she had actually said that out loud, and she shot her head up to look at Ruby, clutching the mug in her hands tightly in a way to ground herself.

“Um, I-I said… I said, the mug is acceptable.” Weiss cringed at her wording, and she didn’t like the look that Ruby had given at that response- as if Weiss was disappointed. She was quick to correct herself. “What I mean is… It’s really great, Ruby. Thank you.” Weiss said, allowing a soft smile to be aimed at the girl, hoping that her message was clear.

Ruby brightened immediately, fist pumping in the air.

“Yes, I knew you’d like it! Score one for Ruby Rose.” Ruby said with childish glee. Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed, placing the mug on her desk and shaking her head at her antics.

“Dolt.” Weiss said, and was surprised at herself with how fond it sounded. Ruby sent her finger guns, and with a childlike giggle, she hopped up onto her top bunk, laying down on it.

“I’m glad you like it Weiss! Now you can use it if you ever need coffee, or tea, or whatever else you drink at three a.m.” Ruby sounded contemplative at the end, and Weiss just turned around in her seat, returning to her homework and picking up her pencil. 

It was silent for a little while, before Ruby broke the silence once more.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby said, and Weiss let out a noise of recognition as she scribbled down her answer to the question on her page.

“I’m happy we’re friends.” Ruby said cheerfully, but her words began to slur together, and Weiss could tell that she was about to fall asleep and may not even remember she said that. Not that long ago, she would have said no to being Ruby’s friend, or even an acquaintance.

But things change, and people change, and she couldn’t deny it any longer, could she?

Weiss smiled softly to herself when she heard Ruby’s snores from her bunk, a hum escaping her throat as she gazed over at the mug sitting next to her, eyes locked on the red and white symbol.

“So am I, Ruby.”


	7. Tickles (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Tell me I'm cute or I'll tickle you!"
> 
> premise: beacon days bees, no specific point in the show, just random basically :)

Blake’s ears flicked when she heard the dorm room door fly open. She merely glanced from over top of the book she was reading, hiding the tiny smile on her face when she saw it was Yang, the girl looking exhausted as she leaned against the door frame. 

"Rough day?“ Blake said, lowering her book to her lap with a raised eyebrow. Yang just whined and walked over to Blake’s bed, flopping down onto it on her stomach and burying her head into her covers. 

"My brain is fried.” Yang said, voice muffled from the blankets. Blake hummed and closed her book, knowing full well that when Yang was involved, she wouldn’t actually be able to read properly. She shifted until her back was against the headboard, locking her eyes on the back of Yang’s head. 

"It’s hard being a genius, isn’t it?“ Blake said with a teasing tone, and Yang lifted her head slightly to give her a lighthearted glare, huffing. 

"Untrue.” Yang said, pushing herself up into a sitting position across from Blake. Blake gazed at her for a second, noting the light blush on her cheeks, presumably from Blake’s compliment. 

Blake let out a soft smile. “Very true.” Blake replied, and before Yang could protest, Blake cut her off. “Yang, I’ve seen your test scores. Don’t deny it like everyone else does. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.” Blake’s voice was firm, trying to get the point across effectively, but it was also gentle.

Yang glanced at her, eyes shimmering with something that Blake couldn’t name at the moment, but would catalogue it for a later date. There was a moment of silence, before Yang’s usual cheesy grin came back, and her eyes shone with mischief. 

“You got a crush on me, Belladonna?” Yang teased, and Blake snorted out a laugh, more so to cope with that sort of question rather than laughing at the possibility. She didn’t exactly… Hate that idea, because Yang was amazing. But she had trouble with feelings, so the only logical response to her was to tease back. 

“Nah,” Blake said, playful smirk on her face when Yang looked genuinely offended. “Not my type." 

"Well, I never!” Yang said with a funny accent, amping up the drama with a hand to her heart, looking faint. Blake giggled at her, and Yang just grinned, shifting closer and sitting next to her, knocking their shoulders together. “Come on.” Yang wiggled her eyebrows, and Blake raised one of hers in a question. “Tell me I’m cute.” Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head, cracking another smile when Yang shoved into her again. “Come on! You know I’m adorable.” Yang said, the girl squishing her cheeks together to puff out her lips. 

Blake snorted and hid her mouth behind her hand, allowing some giggles to escape. Still, she said nothing of the sort, so Yang huffed and poked her ribs. “Tell me I’m cute or I’ll tickle you." 

Blake raised both eyebrows. "You’ll tickle me?" 

"Yup." 

"Really?” Blake hummed, smirk on her lips that suggested she was challenging Yang to actually do that. Baiting her to do so. 

Yang eyed her for a second, before she smirked and lunged forward, fully intending to grab Blake, pin her down and start tickling the hell out of her. Only, Yang was only met with air, arms going through a ghost like image of Blake. 

Yang sputtered and looked at the spot Blake used to be, only to hear a giggle from the doorway. Yang shot her head up, annoyed huff falling from her lips as she watched Blake laugh at her. 

“Okay, that’s cheating!” Yang said, springing off the bed. Blake just looked at her, amusement in her eyes. Yang grinned cheekily at her. “Oh, I’m so gonna get you." 

"Go ahead and try!” Blake said, already running down the hallway of the dorms. With a ‘Hey, no fair!’ from Yang, she took off running after her partner, sprinting to catch up. Their laughter bounced off the walls of the dorms, and people gave them strange looks as they ran past them. But they didn’t care, because they were having fun, and they always had the most fun together. 

And later, when Blake finally let Yang catch her after using dozens of her clones, Yang didn’t actually tickle her. She didn’t have to, because Blake mumbled to her in a soft tone that she was pretty cute. 

Blake would never let Yang live down the harsh blush that erupted on her cheeks after that.


	8. Important (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompts: "You make me so unbelievably happy" / "I couldn't let you leave without telling you that you are important to me"
> 
> premise: set after they've evacuated people from mantle and are back in Atlas, but this was written before vol7ch10. Ruby hears that cinder is back.

Once they made it back to Atlas, Weiss allowed herself a brief moment to herself. She stepped away from everyone else, leaning against the wall outside of the academy, watching intently as Blake and Yang helped Nora and Marrow, along with some others, guide people inside. 

Weiss took a breath and curled her arms around herself, shaking her head at what has occurred. Of _course_ her father was involved. She had an inkling that he was a part of something much bigger, and her theory had been proven correct when she saw that video.

She was aware that her father had spoken _some_ semblance of truth before- that he didn’t actually know he was being played like a damn fiddle, and didn’t know who Watts really was and what he was planning. Still, though, Weiss had never been more happy than when she arrested him.

She smirked at the memory, before her attention was stolen by a shout, her head lifting up to follow the sound. Most of the people were inside the building, now, and Blake and Yang stood off to the side, listening to whatever Elm was telling them. Weiss raised an eyebrow and roamed her eyes until they stopped on a mix of black and red.

She pushed herself off the wall immediately, watching as Ruby, Penny, and Harriet stepped off the recently landed airship, ushering the new addition of people towards the academy doors. Weiss kept her gaze on Ruby, her partner blowing air from her mouth and messing up her bangs, shoulders drooping from the weight of everything.

“Ruby.” Weiss breathed, a sense of relief flooding over her at seeing her safe and sound. She stepped a bit closer, unsure if she should intrude, but then Ruby suddenly looked up, silver eyes catching hers.

Ruby erupted into rose petals, and Weiss braced herself for impact as her body slammed into hers, Weiss only teetering just a little from the force. They wrapped their arms around each other, Ruby burying her head into her neck and taking a deep breath.

“Weiss.” Ruby said softly, and Weiss closed her eyes, allowing a soft smile to form on her lips.

“Ruby.” She said back, and Ruby tightened her grip on her.

“You’re okay.” Ruby said, and Weiss lightly scoffed, pulling back from her to look at her properly. Weiss gave her a look.

“You doubt my abilities?” Weiss said, rolling her eyes playfully. Ruby blinked, then grinned and awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

“You know what I meant.” Ruby replied, and Weiss just hummed. Ruby sighed and lowered her hand, fiddling both of hers together as she glanced into Weiss’ eyes. “Just worried, that’s all.”

Weiss glanced around them for a moment, noting that all the airships had returned and mostly everyone was inside. Blake and Yang still were to the side, but just by themselves now, having a deep conversation it looked like. Everyone else had gone inside.

Weiss returned her gaze to Ruby, who was now staring down at her boots, thoughtful look on her face. Weiss tilted her head, studying her features for a minute for parting her lips.

“Doing okay?” Weiss asked, and Ruby snapped her head up, broken from her thoughts. Ruby met her eyes, and Weiss immediately saw the hesitation there- the feelings and emotions hidden behind cracked silver, and Weiss desperately wanted to chip her way through. But Ruby was stubborn, and she was the leader, so naturally, she pushed her feelings away.

“Totally!” Ruby said, plastering a smile on her face. “Sure, Mantle almost just got destroyed, but I’m great!”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, and Ruby maintained the smile on her face, but Weiss wasn’t a fool.

“Ruby.” Weiss said. Just her name, but Ruby’s smile faltered with her slightly desperate tone. The desperation to be let in, to feel like her _partner_ again. Ruby averted her eyes, letting out a sigh. She looked back at Weiss with a pained smile.

“I’m fine.” Ruby forced out, and Weiss pursed her lips. “We’re all here, and we’re safe for now. I’m happy about that, at least.” Ruby said, and Weiss took this as a step forward, at least. Weiss looked back at the academy doors, nodding in agreement.

“Me too.” Weiss agreed, and when she looked back at Ruby, a goofy smile was now on her face. Weiss raised an eyebrow. Ruby reached out and poked her cheek, Weiss blinking and looking at her in confusion.

“And, I’m with the best partner ever! How can I not be happy about this?” Ruby said, and Weiss couldn’t help but crack a grin at her ridiculousness. Ruby always managed to make her smile despite the situation, and even if she was being silly, Weiss knew she was being sincere.

“I could make a list of how you couldn’t, if you like.” Weiss said, and Ruby tapped her chin, before quickly shaking her head.

“No.” Ruby said, crossing her arms in defiance. “I vow right here and now to remain happy for more than five minutes. It’s not hard when I’m with you, you make me so unbelievably happy, Weiss!”

Weiss felt her cheeks heat up, and she rolled her eyes again, but the smile on her face contradicted it. Ruby smiled at her reaction, and was about to say something else, when someone screamed from inside.

All four of them- Weiss and Ruby, then Blake and Yang from where they still stood, looked at each other in dismay. Ruby took charge immediately, unsheathing Crescent Rose and rushing to the doors, peering inside.

The rest of them gathered their weapons, staying on alert. Ruby leaned away from the doors and turned to them, again about to say something, only to be interrupted by their comms.

“Ruby!”

It was Qrow. It was odd that he only called for her, but it all made sense with his next bomb shell.

“Ruby, it’s Cinder. She’s back.” His gruff voice said, before he was abruptly cut off by the sounds of fighting. Ruby tensed up in seconds, breathing turning short and choppy at the mention of that name. Ruby stumbled, and Weiss shot out to catch her, Blake and Yang looking on in worry. 

“S-She…” Ruby’s voice cracked, and Weiss wished she could do more, _say_ more to help in this situation. But there wasn’t much to say, and Blake and Yang knew that too.

“Rubes, it’s gonna be okay. Blake and I are going in, I’m gonna find uncle Qrow.” Yang said, reaching out to squeeze Ruby’s shoulders. Ruby looked up at her sister, eyes unfocused and wild. Yang pressed their foreheads together, squeezing her shoulders once more. “Find Oscar, okay? We need to secure the relic. Be careful, okay? _Please.”_

Yang kissed Ruby’s forehead before pulling away, nodding at Weiss and then running through the doors of the academy, Blake giving them both a meaningful look before she followed Yang inside.

There was a beat of silence, before Ruby kicked herself into gear. Weiss blinked as Ruby stood up straight, face simultaneously full of emotions and trying to hide them all at once. Weiss was about to reach out to her, to get her to wait a damn minute to figure all this out, but Ruby turned to look at her, eyes shining in the night.

“I gotta go.” Ruby said, voice strained. Weiss gulped, hand closing around Myrtenaster in its sheath. She knew that she had to go, and she also knew that Ruby wasn’t going to find Oscar. She knew, because Weiss knew her partner, even if things had gotten complicated between them over the past weeks.

“Ruby…” Weiss said, a quiet plea for her not to go. But, deep down, she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to stop her. So, she just hoped that when the time comes that Ruby finds Cinder, that she’ll be able to be there to help her this time. Not like last time.

“I know.” Weiss finished, and Ruby gave her a subtle nod. Before Ruby could run off, though, Weiss reached out and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. Ruby tentatively placed her hands on Weiss’ back, and Weiss pressed her nose against Ruby’s cheek, inhaling in her scent for a little longer.

“I have to go.” Ruby whispered, and Weiss tightened her hold when she went to pull away. Weiss clutched at her cloak.

“Just… Wait, okay?” Weiss said, and she heard Ruby exhale shakily in her ear. Weiss bit her lip and closed her eyes, pressing her lips to Ruby’s ear, marvelling at how the younger girl shivered. “I couldn’t let you leave without telling you that you are important to me.”

Ruby’s fingers dug into her back, but it didn’t hurt at all. She welcomed the pressure- it helped her know that Ruby was still there, was with her and was safe. But it didn’t last for long, and Weiss knew it couldn’t.

Ruby slipped out of her arms, glancing one more time into Weiss’ eyes, and then stepped back, clutching Crescent Rose to her chest. She offered Weiss a sad, but determined smile.

“Tell me more about it when I get back to you.” Ruby said, and with that, she burst into a flurry of petals, and was gone.

Weiss took a moment to breathe, needing several deep breaths to calm herself. Her hand closed tighter around her weapon and as she shook off the thoughts in her mind of many bad scenarios where Ruby was concerned, she unsheathed Myrtenaster and flew inside the academy, going to join the fight.

She just hoped she’d see Ruby by the end of it.


	9. Close (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "You're... Really close right now"
> 
> premise: Weiss and ruby training together, set before the whole training bit in the night off episode of volume 7

“You’ll have to do much better than that.”

“I would, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

Weiss smirked and scoffed at Ruby’s reply, Myrtenaster trained on her partner across the virtual training room. Ruby had just attempted to sideline her with her semblance, but Weiss saw the rose petals from miles away, and promptly dodged and used a glyph to trap her feet. Weiss let her partner go, and Ruby widened her stance, holding Crescent Rose as they both tried to calculate each other’s moves.

“You’ve been training hard with Winter.” Ruby commented, but Weiss didn’t take the bait of conversation, as she had done previously. She just cocked an eyebrow, studying Ruby’s feet. Ruby huffed and swung Crescent in a clockwise motion, before shooting towards Weiss without warning by shooting the ground behind her with her shotgun.

Weiss lifted Myrtenaster just in time to block Ruby’s swing for her chest, a glint in her eye when the younger girl got a bit frustrated. They went back and forth for a little bit, both of them blocking each other’s hits until Ruby swiped hard towards her legs, causing Weiss to leap back gracefully to avoid it.

“Clever.” Weiss said, and the look of pride on Ruby’s face was kind of precious. Weiss straightened her posture and lifted her weapon again. Ruby bit her lip, clearly contemplative of how to proceed. Weiss narrowed her eyes as Ruby lunged forward again, in the same position as before. But, Weiss was surprised when she went to swipe for her partner in the same manner as before, only to be met with rose petals, spreading around her in three separate groups before materialising behind her.

Weiss heard Ruby giggle behind her, which gave her time to dodge out of the way of Crescent coming into contact with her back. Weiss spun around, slight shock still on her face as she looked at Ruby.

“When did you learn that?” Weiss asked, momentarily stopping their training session. Ruby shrugged, red hue spreading on her cheeks.

“I’ve been trying it out with Oscar sometimes.” Ruby replied. “In here. Ren sometimes joins in, so we can practice his semblance too.”

Weiss hummed in thought, and Ruby grinned at her. Weiss took that as a sign that they were going to continue now, and Ruby once again lunged forward.

It was always nice sparring with Ruby. Weiss had honestly missed it- with everything going on and Weiss sparring and training with Winter most of the time now, neither of them had found time to train together. Weiss, even though she loved her dear sister, liked sparring with Ruby the most. They were partners, they knew each other’s fighting style the best because they worked the best together. It was good to fight, and learn new things through each other.

Ruby excelled at close combat, whereas Weiss excelled at a distance. Which is why, whenever Ruby came in close, Weiss would block and create distance between them. This time that it happened, Ruby huffed and shot herself back, turning Crescent into its gun form and starting to fire.

Weiss weaved and blocked as many bullets as possible, but one grazed her shoulder, and she hissed with the pain, clutching her shoulder. Her aura would help her with that soon.

Before Ruby could take advantage of her distracted state, Weiss took note as she pulled Crescent back to its scythe form, and shot forward quickly. Weiss raised her hands with Myrtenaster in her left and focused, ears painfully aware of Ruby’s impending hit.

Then suddenly, the noise stopped, and was followed with a ‘Whoa!’ as Ruby ended up flat on her back, stunned look on her face. Weiss hid her giggle behind her hand as Ruby looked up at her, her gaze then travelling to the mini Arma Gigas just next to her.

“Whoa! When did you get _this_ little guy?” Ruby beamed at her, not at all upset about the little trick Weiss had pulled. Weiss shrugged as Ruby sat up, her eyes on the little suit of armour.

“I was playing around with my summons with Winter the other day. I have a big one of him already, so I thought, ‘Why not play around with the size?’“ Weiss replied, and Ruby nodded, smiling brightly at her.

“That’s awesome, Weiss!” Ruby shot her hands up in a cheerful manner, and Weiss rolled her eyes playfully.

Before she could consider herself the victor, though, Ruby caught her off guard by bursting into more rose petals. Weiss armed herself quickly, but wasn’t fast enough to counter Ruby’s hit from her right side. Weiss stumbled as her back pressed into one of the virtual pillars, shocked expression on her face.

Ruby giggled, standing just a couple of inches from Weiss. Weiss looked at her for a moment, noting the proximity and wow did it just get to a million degrees in here all of a sudden?

“Good job, Weiss! That was really fun.” Ruby said, bright smile never leaving her face. Weiss huffed and relaxed against the pillar, admitting defeat with this training session. Ruby remained in her position, though, and Weiss glanced up into her eyes. They were still shining brightly, and Weiss was glad that her partner was doing well in terms of fighting, but also with maintaining her childish nature.

“We should spar more often.” Weiss said softly, and Ruby hummed in response, but it was also gentle and soft. Their voices lowered, and Weiss licked her lips when Ruby seemed to gravitate forwards, faces becoming much closer. She could feel the heat radiating from Ruby’s body from sparring, and her hair plastered to her forehead from sweating so much.

But, damn, she looked attractive.

“You’re… Really close right now.” Weiss said in a whisper, eyelids fluttering when she felt Ruby’s hand touch her waist.

“I guess I am.” Ruby said cheekily, dorky grin on her face. Weiss breathed out a laugh, but stopped as Ruby pressed their foreheads together, her breath hitching in her throat. 

“Ruby?” Weiss said, and Ruby just sighed, looking into her eyes.

“I’ve missed you.” Ruby said, and Weiss gulped down the lump in her throat.

Before she could respond in any way, and before Ruby could just _close the gap already_ , a voice to their right broke them apart.

“Uh, um, are we.. Interrupting?” 

Ruby shot away from her, and Weiss immediately missed the warmth she provided. They stood next to each other with wide eyes, taking in the sight of Oscar and Ren standing there, looking confused but also embarrassed at finding them in that… Position.

Ruby and Weiss glanced to each other, faces lit up with blushes as Ruby scratched the back of her neck, looking away to the two boys in front of them.

“Uh, no! No… We were just finishing up, um.. Training.” Ruby stammered, and Weiss nodded in agreement. Oscar nodded slowly, looking awkward and embarrassed, but Ren just studied them for a second.

After another beat of silence, Ruby grabbed at Crescent Rose and took steps towards the boys, giving them a smile.

“Wanna go test some new things with our semblances?” Ruby asked, and when both boys nodded in confirmation, Ruby gave them a thumbs up. She and Weiss watched them walk away to the other side of the arena, before Ruby turned to her, lip caught between her teeth.

“Um, right… I should probably…” Ruby weakly motioned behind her in the general direction where the boys went, and Weiss sighed lightly.

“I know.” Weiss said, and Ruby gave her a shy smile. “I’ll go find Winter.”

“Cool.” Ruby said with a chipper tone. Weiss nodded, and was just about to walk past her to do just what she said, but Ruby stopped her. Weiss raised an eyebrow at Ruby’s nervous face, and was then surprised when the girl gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. 

“I meant it.” Ruby stated. “I’ve missed you. And, um… I’m proud of you, Weiss.”

Weiss looked into her eyes, cheeks heating up as Ruby grinned at her. She shot away soon after, leaving her with some finger guns as she ran over to Ren and Oscar, continuing her semblance training.

Weiss blinked and raised a hand to her cheek, brushing her fingertips over where Ruby kissed. After another minute, a small smile bloomed on her face, and she continued on her way to find Winter.

 _Yeah,_ she thought. _I’ve missed you too, Ruby._


	10. Fall (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Whoa! [Falls on top of ______]"
> 
> premise: Weiss and ruby training at a random point in volume 7

Weiss stood in the middle of the training room, a few pillars flanking her. Myrtenaster was raised in front of her face, pointing towards the ceiling as she closed her eyes and handled her breathing.

Her ear caught movement behind her, and a smirk formed on her lips. She waited a beat, then sent a glyph out behind her, swallowing down the gleeful giggle in her throat when she heard a surprised gasp.

“Weiss! Come on, we said no glyphs.” Ruby whined, feet stuck to the floor with Weiss’ glyph. Weiss turned to face her partner’s annoyed face, allowing the giggle to escape this time.

“Sorry, couldn’t help it.” Weiss replied, a small, cheeky grin on her face. Ruby huffed and crossed her arms, giving Weiss a playful glare.

“Someone’s gotten pretty cheeky.” Ruby said, noticing the cute sparkle to Weiss’ eyes. Ruby had noticed it more often since they’d gotten here, and how she’s dealt with her father and her family. It was nice to see Weiss just… Be herself, and let loose more often.

Weiss hummed and removed the glyph from Ruby’s feet. Ruby stumbled a little, but caught herself as Weiss raised her weapon again, raising her eyebrow in a challenge.

“Maybe. But I can be silly and beat you in a sparring session any day.” Weiss said, bold smirk on her face. Ruby raised her eyebrows at the challenge, lightly chuckling as she pulled out Crescent Rose from her back.

“We’ll see.” Ruby sing-songed, and with a flurry of petals, she vanished. Weiss blinked and looked around her for a moment, trying to anticipate where Ruby was going to charge from. Weiss paused and resumed her position from before when Ruby tried this tactic. She took a breath and waited, glancing around for a minute before she heard scuffling from above.

Weiss looked up, eyebrow raised at the sound.

“Weee!”

Weiss jumped and leapt out of the way of a falling Ruby from one of the pillars up above, her scythe just barely missing her back and bouncing off the ground. Ruby giggled when Weiss huffed at her, both of them raising their weapons.

“Ruby, aren’t we supposed to be training?” Weiss teased, and Ruby pouted at her. She finally dropped the shenanigans and shot forward, delivering swing after swing with Crescent. Weiss blocked each one, being pushed backwards due to the sheer force of Ruby’s attacks. Weiss bit her lip when Ruby leaned away, the girl rotating Crescent in her hands.

Without hesitation, Ruby swung her scythe, and Weiss raised Myrtenaster at the same time, their weapons locking together with Weiss’ blade and Ruby’s long handle on her weapon. Their faces were fixed with determination to knock the other off their feet, faces getting in close.

“Come on, let me have this!” Ruby said, voice strained from her muscles working. Weiss scoffed and smirked at her, shaking her head.

“Nope.” Weiss said. Ruby whined and pushed on her harder, and Weiss had to stick her heels down to make sure she didn’t fall over.

One last push from Ruby almost sent her flying, as Ruby was slightly stronger, so in order to ground herself she shot her hand out, grabbing onto Ruby’s bicep. Ruby jumped at the contact, and Weiss’ eyes widened as the girl pulled back. Weiss stumbled forward from the lack of tension on her weapon, which is where all her weight was being placed.

“Whoa! Ruby!” Weiss yelled, Ruby letting out a squeak as Weiss collided into her body, sending them both down to the floor with Weiss on top. Their weapons clattered down next to them, both of their chests heaving from the impact.

Ruby groaned underneath her, and Weiss straightened up a little, placing her hands on either side of Ruby’s head. She blinked her eyes open, a little shaken from the fall, and looked at Ruby, who also just opened her eyes.

“Oops.” Ruby said, and Weiss could tell she was trying not to laugh hysterically at the situation. Weiss gave her an unamused look, and that was all it took for Ruby to burst. She pointed a finger at Weiss’ face, her cackles echoing off the walls. “Your face!”

Weiss grumbled under her breath and sighed, batting Ruby’s finger away from her face before returning her hand to its position near Ruby’s head. Still, she couldn’t help the light giggle that fell from her lips at Ruby’s laughter. Soon, they were both laughing about it, Ruby continuing her cackling while Weiss just chuckled softly along with her, rolling her eyes.

Eventually, they stopped laughing, and as they were catching their breath, Ruby looked up at her, bright and shiny silver eyes almost blinding her. Her smile was wide, and Weiss found herself pausing to take it in. She smiled softly back at her, completely unaware of their position at the moment.

Ruby seemed to catch on, though, and her smile slowly faded, a light blush coming to her cheeks when she looked downwards. Weiss followed her gaze, noting how she was straddling her. Weiss’ eyes widened and her cheeks heated up, looking back at Ruby.

“Sorry, I’ll… Remove myself, now.” Weiss said, clearing her throat and shifting a little on Ruby’s hips. Ruby sat up on her elbows, body tensing up a little at the movement. She looked up at Weiss with a curious look, head tilted just slightly. Weiss stayed still, despite saying she would get up just seconds ago.

“Weiss.” Ruby said, so soft Weiss almost missed it. Weiss felt her heart clench in her chest, eyes flitting between Ruby’s.

“Yeah?”

“Is it weird that…” Ruby trailed off, eyes averting to glance around the room for a second, fingers curling at her sides. “Is it… Um, _bad_ , if… I don’t mind it?”

It was in that single moment, that Weiss felt a lot of things at once. Nerves, adoration, confusion, longing, but most important was… Well, how much she loved her partner. In whatever way that meant at the moment, Weiss wasn’t sure. But, she realised she.. Didn’t mind it all that much, either.

She’d missed Ruby so much.

Weiss took a breath and licked her lips, flitting her eyes all around Ruby’s face.

“No,” Weiss started, a bundle of butterflies opening in her stomach when Ruby sat up a bit more, their foreheads pressing together and her hands touching at her sides. “No, I find that… Endearing.”

“Sounds like a big word.” Ruby said, a cute smile adorning her lips. Weiss breathed out a laugh and hummed, hands cupping Ruby’s hot cheeks now.

“Means you’re cute. Essentially.” Weiss replied, and Ruby giggled at her. They whispered to each other, enjoying the soft and loving atmosphere of two partners, two best friends just figuring it all out. 

Ruby bit her lip and leaned up a little, Weiss’ heart pounding like a drum as her lips inched closer to hers. She was really about to-

“Ruby? Weiss? You guys in here?”

They froze, Yang’s voice booming from near the entrance of the training room. Weiss took a moment to collect herself, before she quickly scrambled off of Ruby, ignoring the disappointment that filled her. 

“Uh, y-yeah! Yeah, over here.” Ruby stammered, taking Weiss’ hand to stand up next to her. Yang came around one of the pillars, eyebrow raised when she saw the two of them just standing next to each other, cheeks flushed. Yang studied them for a moment, a smirk growing when she Ruby fidgeting with her cloak.

“What are you guys up to?” Yang asked, narrowing her eyes. Ruby jumped at the question, eyes glancing to Weiss before returning to Yang.

“Nothing! Just some trainin’.” Ruby did some dorky finger guns at her sister. “You know how it is, right?” Ruby gave her an awkward smile, and Weiss fought the urge to face palm. Weiss sighed lightly and looked to Yang, who looked at them with a knowing smirk still.

“Right, ‘course.” Yang said calmly, placing her hands on her hips. “I definitely know how it is.”

No one said anything after that. Ruby looked like she’d rather be anywhere _but_ there, and Weiss was just trying to mask her face of any giveaways of what had almost just occurred. 

“Right, well,” Yang piped up, seemingly having mercy on them for the first time in her life. “Ironwood needs to see us all. You comin’?” Yang gestured behind her towards the exit with her thumb.

“Yeah, lead the way!” Ruby said, scratching the back of her head. Yang snorted and swiftly turned around, making her way towards the exit with the duo in tow.

They glanced at each other, a conversation happening between their eyes. Ruby sent her a shy smile, her hand closing around hers to squeeze it tightly. Weiss allowed a smile to overtake her, understanding that they could talk about it later.

Their job was important, but they were also important to each other.

Eventually, at some point, when Weiss would fall and Ruby would catch her, she probably wouldn’t get up again.

Hopefully that moment could happen sooner rather than later. 


	11. Not This Time (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: so basically this one was a vague prompt. it was more like someone just telling me their idea, and it was in the form of a prompt in a way. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 7 CHAPTER 10
> 
> basically, team rwby has an encounter with salem and yang snaps because of the stuff she said about summer, and yang loses her mechanical arm, and it's an angsty parallel with blake with the volume 3 ending of her leaving, but instead, she stays this time

Salem came sooner than they expected.

They had Tyrian, they had Watts, they knew Cinder was here- they should have been way ahead of her, but in reality, they weren’t.

Ironwood turned on them, and after battling the remaining members of the Ace-Ops, minus Clover much to their surprise, they expected to have more time to think of a plan and meet up with everyone else.

Sometimes life has funny ways of tripping you up, though.

“She’s actually _here_?” Blake said incredulously, looking at Ruby in disbelief. Ruby was looking at them all, back against the wall and arms curled around herself. She had just told them that Salem was actually there, in the flesh. It had only been about an hour since their battle with the Ace-Ops had ended, so this information was startling.

“How do you know?” Yang said, looking her sister over. Ruby pursed her lips and looked away, shaking her head a bit at whatever thoughts were in her mind. Yang was about to reach out, but Weiss touched Ruby’s shoulder, and Yang backed off a little, allowing them to have a moment.

After a second, Ruby sighed.

“I just know.” Was all she said, and she said it with so much finality and conviction that honestly, Yang realised it didn’t really matter how she knew. The fact of the matter was that Salem was here, about to terrorise Mantle and Atlas. 

The team had taken refuge after fighting the Ace-Ops, hiding out near the Academy so they could get their bearings. It was cold outside, and they could see their breaths in front of them, but they didn’t have many options at this point.

“Is there seriously no way to get in touch with anyone?” Weiss asked, brow crinkled. Ruby clenched her jaw and shook her head, pushing herself off of the wall.

“Ironwood disabled all of our scrolls.” Ruby spat, and Yang was taken aback by her tone. She still wasn’t entirely used to that type of thing from Ruby, and honestly was still shaken at what Salem had done to Ruby. She didn’t know exactly what happened, but she knew it was something awful about Summer, and when Ruby collapsed into her arms and sobbed, Yang had never felt any other type of heart break like that.

Well, except maybe… When Blake left.

That aside, Yang chewed on her bottom lip as they stood there in the cold, trying to figure out a game plan.

Life decided to make one for them, because not long after, a loud ‘boom’ echoed from the Academy. They looked at each other before running around the side of the building, where the sound came from.

Ruby was in front, so when she gasped loudly and stumbled back a little, Yang was there to catch her quickly.

“What?” Yang said, looking up to where Ruby was looking. Yang gasped now too, and Weiss and Blake looked on behind them as Salem herself emerged from a hole in the Academy walls. She didn’t see them standing there at first, smirk on her face as she walked calmly outside, taking in the damage and destruction she was causing.

They knew she was in the city, Ruby had told them as much, but seeing her in the flesh, so close to them was… Difficult to process.

Ruby straightened up in Yang’s arms, breaking free from her to stand next to her.

“It seems so easy.” Blake said softly next to her, and Yang felt her brush her fingers against her own. Yang swallowed thickly and squeezed Blake’s hand, grounding herself.

“What?” Yang said back, and Blake let out a shuddering breath as all four of them slowly unsheathed their weapons. Salem heard the sound of Ruby cocking her weapon and slowly turned towards them. She had a playful, almost amused look in her eyes at the sight of them.

“Seems so easy she’s actually here.” Blake mumbled to her, and Yang hummed, getting Ember Celica ready.

“Ah,” Salem drawled. “The heroes have finally come to fight.” Salem stood stock still, as if she were just a mirage, and not actually real. “A fight that won’t mean anything, just like with your-”

“Don’t say her name again.” Ruby cut her off with a hiss between clenched teeth, and Yang glared at the monster in front of them. The fire that started in her stomach was slowly engulfing her insides, the anger towards this… _Thing_ , this hollow shell of a woman, building. Summer was her mother, too. 

_Summer_ was there to wipe her tears when she scraped her knees after falling off her bike, _Summer_ was there to bake cookies with her for Ruby’s birthday parties, _Summer_ was there with a hug and an understanding smile whenever Yang was being a difficult brat who didn’t want to get in the bathtub.

“You won’t defeat me.” Salem said simply, matter-of-factly almost. Ruby growled, and Weiss aimed Myrtenaster right at the woman. Blake swung Gambol Shroud in a rotation, and Yang…

Yang thought of Summer.

 _Summer_ was there. She was her mother, the one Raven never was. And this messed up, twisted, broken creature took that from her and Ruby?

Yang’s rational thought went out the window in that moment, the anger building and building to a heated point, and she closed her eyes. She growled and opened them swiftly, looking at Salem with blood-red eyes and fiery hair.

Salem had no patience for them anymore, and Ruby was just about to call the charge, was just about to lead them into the battle. But Yang couldn’t help it, _Summer Rose was her mother too._

Yang screamed.

It was guttural and ugly and loud, and she heard Blake shout her name, felt Ruby and Weiss’ hands try to hold her back, but it was useless. Salem watched her with gleeful anticipation, just waiting.

“ _Yang!”_ Blake called, the name ripped from her chest in anguish, desperation leaking from that simple word.

Yang shot herself towards Salem, much similar to how she shot herself towards Adam to protect Blake all that time ago. It didn’t occur to Yang how this could mess everything up, how this was exactly the type of thing that fucked her up before, because all she wanted was to fuck up this woman’s face.

But before she could, and before anyone could have stopped her, Salem grinned at her- a twisted, horror-filled grin, and she shot her hand out, the limb extending like a cracked tree branch.

“Yang!” Ruby yelled, and that was all Yang heard before Salem’s ghoulish hand clasped down onto Yang’s mechanical arm, easily and effortlessly dangling her in the air. Yang gasped and squirmed, eyes fading some of the red as fear crept into her heart. She was lifted up high, and almost in slow-motion, Salem squeezed and ripped Yang’s arm out, throwing it away, damaged and broken.

Everything sped up after that. Yang plummeted to the ground, but Ruby burst into rose petals, Weiss threw out multiple glyphs, and Blake…

Where was Blake?

Yang landed with a thud in Ruby’s arms, Weiss’ glyphs allowing her to land much softer than she would have before. 

“Yang, what the _hell_ were you thinking?” Weiss shrieked, and she sent out some dust before Salem could react, creating a smoke screen for them as they dragged Yang out on the other side, buying them a bit of time.

“Yang, are you okay?” Ruby asked, frantic and eyes full of worry and fear. Yang blinked up at her, glanced around them quickly.

“Blake?” Yang whispered. Weiss and Ruby furrowed their eyebrows and glanced to each other, not understanding fully what she was getting at. Yang sat up and looked around them, the emptiness of her right arm overwhelming her.

“Yang, it’s okay, she-”

Yang’s breaths quickened, and her ears sort of blocked out what Ruby started saying to her, her left hand starting to shake a little. Ruby looked at her hand, then to Yang’s face.

A memory of red invaded Yang’s mind. A memory of loss, of pain, and she instinctively reached out towards her mechanical arm, and when she didn’t feel anything there, her heart clenched painfully.

“Yang, we need to go. You can’t fight like this, and we need back up for this type of fight.” Weiss pleaded with her, taking note of how little dust she has left to create more smoke with. Yang blinked and looked up at Ruby and Weiss, eyes prickling with tears.

Ruby hauled her up, and Yang felt numb and weightless all of a sudden, eyes unfocused as thoughts of _she left again, she left you, it happened again_ pulsed in her mind.

But, in seconds they evaporated as she heard a cry from behind, all three of their heads spinning to face the sound.

Gambol Shroud shot through the smoke and attached to the ground, and Blake swung through, landing on her feet with a flip.

“Okay, I think I distracted her enough with my clones. Let’s-”

Yang tore herself away from Ruby and Weiss, cutting Blake off as she wrapped her remaining arm around her, pulling her in close. Blake sputtered and blinked in shock, looking at Ruby and Weiss for answers.

“Yang?” Blake said, pulling back to look at her. Yang stared at her for a moment, eyes now their normal lilac colour, and Blake glanced down, taking note of how Yang’s hand was shaking just slightly.

Blake deflated, a long exhale escaping her as she flitted her eyes back up to Yang’s. The look in her eyes told Blake all she needed to know, so she sent Yang a soft, reassuring smile, hand coming up to touch her bicep, just above where her mechanical arm would have ended. 

“Not this time.” Blake whispered to her, and she curled her fingers around Yang’s bicep while simultaneously brushing her other fingers along Yang’s left hand, taking it in her own to stop the shaking. 

“I’m sorry, I just… I thought…” Yang said in a small voice, eyes closing tightly. Blake pressed their foreheads together, squeezing Yang’s hand.

“Not. This. Time.” Blake punctuated each word, driving them home into Yang’s heart. “I’m here, and we need to go, okay? We can’t stay here and fight without back up.”

Yang took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, relief and love and guilt filling her all at once. Relief, because Blake was still _here_. She was here this time. Love, because she couldn’t imagine her life without Blake every again. And guilt, for doubting her partner, even after everything they’d been through.

She opened her eyes and nodded more firmly this time, Blake giving her another small smile.

They turned to Ruby and Weiss, and just as the smoke was beginning to clear around them, they took off, leaving Salem behind for now, leaving that battle until they had time to deal with it. Until they had more people to help.

Until that happened, they would stick together and stay low. And when the final battle came, they’d be ready.

And Blake and Yang would stay together each and every time.

Always. 


	12. Late Night (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Where are you going at this hour?"
> 
> premise: set the night before everyone is assigned missions in chapter 5/woken by penny

Weiss used to be a pretty heavy sleeper.

She had grown accustomed to blocking things out as she slept. She always tried to get as much sleep as possible, and living at Schnee Manor gave her the motivation to do that. She would rather be asleep than hear her father screaming at her mother, anyway. 

After Beacon fell, though, Weiss could barely sleep. She had stopped being a heavy sleeper, and instead would wake at the slightest, uncomfortable or inconvenient noise. And that was precisely why when she should have been fast asleep that night in the team’s Atlas dorm room, the minute she heard the floorboard creak, Weiss was up.

She blinked her eyes open, peering into the darkness. Weiss blinked a few more times at another board creaking on the floor, causing her to raise herself onto her elbows, eyebrow raised. 

She saw a silhouette in the shadows, a body taking shape as it crept towards the door. Weiss watched with a keen eye, the figure opening the door as quietly as they could, which, really wasn’t that quiet. It creaked as well, and she heard them curse under their breath. When the door opened, a tiny crack of light poured in, and just before the figure slipped outside as fast as they could, she saw the familiar red cloak swish behind them.

Weiss sighed and lifted the covers, quietly creeping out of her bed. She bit her lip as she passed by Blake and Yang’s bunks, careful not to wake them. Obviously, she was aware of who had just left the room, and the only thought in her mind was if she was okay.

Weiss quickly darted out of the room, squinting her eyes at the sudden light from the hallway. Ruby hadn’t gotten very far yet, thankfully, so Weiss crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow again, calling out in a whisper before she got too far.

“Where are you going at this hour?”

Ruby jumped out of her skin and froze mid-step, eyes wide when she turned around to face her. She relaxed when she saw it was Weiss, but her cheeks lit up in a light blush at her words, and her unamused expression at being woken up so late.

“Um…” Ruby scratched the back of her neck, shrugging her shoulders and gesturing behind her. “Just needed some fresh air. I couldn’t sleep… Heh, just a lot going on tomorrow, you know?”

Weiss studied her partner for a second, and her words rang true when she saw the obvious bags under Ruby’s eyes, and the lack of focus in them. Weiss briefly wondered how much sleep Ruby had gotten while they’d been here. She surmised it wasn’t much.

Weiss hummed and stepped closer to her, coming up to stand beside her. At Ruby’s questioning gaze, Weiss gave her a tiny smile, motioning forward.

“Can I join you?” Weiss asked. For a brief moment, Ruby seemed surprised that she asked, considering how much Weiss valued her sleep, even if she didn’t get a lot of it anymore either. But, soon the look disappeared, and Ruby smiled gently back at her and nodded.

They walked in silence down the hall, Ruby leading them to whatever spot she had found. Weiss followed behind her, occasionally roaming her eyes to the back of Ruby’s head, admiring the way her hair spiked out now. Weiss found that the shaggy type of look looked great on her.

“Here.” Ruby said, breaking her out of her thoughts. Weiss halted her steps, blinking at the set of doors in front of them. They were glass, and they lead to a balcony outside of the Academy. Weiss raised a brow at her.

“Ruby, it’s freezing outside.” Weiss said, and she clenched her jaw when Ruby just giggled at her, the girl shrugging and opening the doors, gesturing outside before pointing at the cloak around her shoulders.

“You wanted to join me, silly! Now, come on, I brought this thing for a reason.” Ruby sauntered outside, as if expecting and knowing Weiss would follow her.

And, well, she did- of course she did. It’s _Ruby_.

Weiss sighed and curled her arms around herself, ignoring the slight shiver that passed through her when she walked outside. She closed the doors behind her and glanced around the area. The balcony wasn’t very big, and there were beautiful flowers adorning the railings, held in some pots that were hanging up on hooks next to the doors. Weiss found herself smiling at them, and her eyes looked up at the sky, drinking in the sight of the bright stars and the looming orb of the moon.

“It’s nice, right?” Ruby interrupted her thoughts yet again, and Weiss moved her gaze to her. She was leaning over the railing, arms folded on each other as she also looked up at the sky. “I found it the other day. I got lost on the way to the dorm room.” Ruby giggled at herself, and Weiss rolled her eyes fondly, coming up beside her and mimicking her position on the railing.

“You have a scroll for a reason, you know.” Weiss replied, cracking a grin when Ruby waved her hand, dismissing her words.

“I was fine! I was only lost for… Like, a couple hours, but it was really fine!” Ruby whined, and Weiss found herself laughing at her- it was a light laugh, and she covered her mouth as she did it, but Ruby still heard it, and she smiled at the sound. “I found my way. And anyway, I was able to find this nice place, so it worked out!”

Weiss hummed in content, gazing around them for a moment before returning her gaze to Ruby, nodding at her.

“I agree. It’s very beautiful.” Weiss said, and Ruby beamed at her, bumping their shoulders together.

“I thought you’d like it.” Ruby said, and Weiss paused at that, looking at her with her scarred brow raised. Ruby blinked at her, her cheeks beginning to dust with pink. “Oh… Um… Cause, you know, I was gonna show you this… Wasn’t going to be tonight, but at some point.” Ruby’s voice turned soft, and Weiss felt her heart leap in her chest. She glanced down when Ruby’s hand shifted on the railing, her pinky almost touching hers.

“Really?” Weiss said, and Ruby nodded energetically.

“Duh! You were the first person I thought of. I thought you’d like to see something like this… I don’t know, maybe it was stupid…” Ruby’s face fell a little, a disheartened looking taking over her previous happy one. Weiss furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, laying her hand over Ruby’s without hesitation.

“That’s ridiculous.” Weiss stated, and Ruby just puffed out her cheeks, shrugging. Weiss huffed and squeezed her hand, getting Ruby to look at her in the eyes. “Ruby, I know a lot has happened since we’ve been here, and I know… We’ve gotten caught up in Ironwood’s plans.” Weiss kept her voice gentle, hoping that Ruby could see she was trying to be sincere. “But… I’m happy we’re all here together. Being away from you all was the worst time in my life, and I won’t take it for granted.”

Ruby’s eyes flitted between hers, the silver looking extra sparkly in the moonlight. Weiss smiled at her, the usual soft smile she reserved for Ruby.

“You’re my partner, and my best friend. This would never be stupid to me.” Weiss said. “Thank you for showing me this.”

Ruby immediately beamed at her, previous feelings gone just as quickly as they had came. Ruby giggled and threw her arms around Weiss, effectively surprising the girl and making her groan.

“Awww, Weiss! You’re so cute.” Ruby gushed, and Weiss sighed in frustration, but didn’t try to fight the hug at all. Instead, she hugged her partner back, and she couldn’t fight the smile that erupted either.

“If you ever say that to anyone else, I’ll firmly deny it.” Weiss warned, and Ruby just giggled again, squeezing her in her arms. Weiss rolled her eyes, but she ultimately felt herself relax in Ruby’s strong arms, the limbs encasing her with warmth. Ruby wrapped her cloak around them both, blocking out as much of he cold as possible. Weiss made an appreciative noise and laid her head on Ruby’s shoulder, content with the silent atmosphere they had created. 

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby, of course, had to break it, but Weiss couldn’t bring out any annoyance. Instead, she hummed in response, indicating she was listening. Ruby’s hand, perhaps absentmindedly, began running up and down her back, the tickling sensation sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. 

“I’ve missed your hugs.” Ruby mumbled, and Weiss breathed out a laugh, closing her eyes and burying her face into Ruby’s shoulder, allowing the girl to continue her ministrations on her back.

“I’m always here if you need one.” Weiss whispered back. There was a pause from Ruby, and her arms tightened a bit more around her, Weiss feeling her nod.

“Good.” Ruby replied, and Weiss took a breath, pulling herself away from her shoulder to look at her face. She looked calm, and Weiss sighed lightly, feeling compelled to raise her hand and brush her thumb against Ruby’s cheek.

She did just that, and felt a rush of warmth spread through her when Ruby smiled at her. Weiss let out a soft smile and then pulled herself completely away, sighing and looking around them.

“We should probably go back to bed.” Weiss mused, and Ruby frowned at her, but ultimately nodded. She motioned towards the doors, sending Weiss another smile.

“You go back first. I’ll just… Hang out here, for a little bit longer. I won’t stay up all night, promise.” Ruby quickly reassured her with that last bit, when it seemed Weiss was going to lecture her about not sleeping. Weiss “hmphed”, but was feeling her tiredness creep back up on her, and she didn’t have the energy to debate with Ruby any longer.

“You better.” Weiss said, and Ruby saluted at her like the dork she was. Weiss huffed a laugh and turned away, leaving Ruby behind on the balcony to retreat back under her blankets and snuggle into her warm bed.

The next day would be pretty hectic for everyone, that’s for sure. But Weiss was glad she had her partner there for her, as she would be there for her too.

Even if time was limited, they’d always be there for each other.

Even in the cold, dark nights.


	13. You Attack My Heart (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: “Please, stop smiling at me like that. I’m not sure what will happen if you keep doing that.” 
> 
> premise: volume 6 chapter 1, while they're all on board the train towards atlas

“Dibs on this one!”

No one objected to Ruby’s words as the girl hopped up onto one of the top bunks in their room on the train. The remaining three gazed around at the other beds, and Weiss could feel the slight tension between the two people next to her as they both looked at the beds on the other side of the room. It hit a bit too close to home for everyone in that moment- how the layout was eerily similar to their dorm room back at Beacon, but the bunks were done professionally and correctly this time, of course.

Weiss felt the frown tug on her lip as she walked to the bed underneath Ruby’s, gingerly placing herself down on the edge. For most of her time at Beacon, she was terrified to go to sleep for fear of Ruby’s bed crashing down on her and murdering her. It always annoyed her how _well_ it actually worked out for the rest of their term.

But, as Weiss roamed her eyes around the bunk beds, watching Blake awkwardly dance around Yang to quickly claim the bottom one and Yang pointedly not paying attention, and hopping up onto her own bed, Weiss felt a slight pang in her heart at the memories. She missed the teetering of Ruby’s bed when she hopped up and down from it, and she missed the slash in their curtains.

She missed a lot of things, but she at least still had her team with her again.

“I’m hungry. Anyone want to get something to eat?” Yang suddenly broke into the silence around the room, hopping down from her bed after a few minutes. She heard Ruby puff out a breath, then movement on her bed. Her foot dangled over the side of her bed, almost hitting Weiss in the face. Weiss scowled and swatted at her foot, hearing Ruby giggle above her.

“I’m not hungry. Sorry, sis.” Ruby said. Yang raised an eyebrow at her, clearly unconvinced. Weiss stuck her head out and peered up at Ruby, half of her body leaning over her bed now so she could look Yang in the face.

“ _You’re_ not hungry?” Weiss said incredulously, and Yang smirked when Ruby sputtered at them both, before a pout settled on her lips.

“You guys suck.” Ruby stuck her tongue out, before she flopped back onto her bed, out of Weiss’ view. “Maybe a little, but I want to just… Lay down for a second, okay?”

Yang sighed and shrugged, deciding to let it go. She looked to Weiss, who shook her head with an apologetic smile on her face. Yang seemed hesitant for a second, but she then twisted her body around to look at Blake, whose eyes were very interested in the blankets on her bed.

“Um… Did you, you know, want to come? You must be hungry too.” Yang rubbed the back of her neck, and Weiss cringed at how _awkward_ they were.

Blake whipped her head up, ears standing on her head. She blinked and rushed off the bed, almost hitting her head on the top bunk in her haste.

“Sure… I mean, yeah! Yes, I’ll join you.” Blake stammered, light pink dusting her cheeks as her ears flattened on her head. Yang just cleared her throat and nodded. She waved at Ruby and Weiss and left the room with Blake in tow, the door sliding shut behind them.

Weiss sighed and placed her hands in her lap, fiddling with the white ribbon around her stomach. She heard a shuffle from above her, before Ruby slipped off her bunk, feet planting themselves right in front of her. Weiss glanced up at her, Ruby flashing her a small smile.

“Hey.” She said, and Weiss felt some tension relieve itself in her shoulders at the soft tone and the warm silver eyes.

“Hey.” Weiss replied, and Ruby’s smile grew as she dropped down next to her on the bed, body half-turned to look at Weiss. 

“What’s up?” Ruby chirped, and it was clear that she hadn’t planned on saying much when she came down here, because she didn’t seem to know anything to say besides that. She seemed to think for a moment, before she spoke again. “I mean, like… This must be weird for you, since we’re going…” She didn’t say it, but she didn’t have to.

Weiss looked away from her. She descended her gaze to her hands, which were still playing with her ribbon. She bit her lip and chewed on it, thinking on what Ruby said.

Yeah, of course it’s weird. It’s weird, and uncomfortable, and all those negative thoughts and feelings invaded her and made her think of the worst possible scenarios about going back _there_. There, where her father was, where her mother was hiding herself behind a bottle still, where Whitley hated her guts, where Winter…

Well, where Winter is doing whatever she’s doing.

Weiss jumped when Ruby touched her shoulder, her blue eyes shooting up to see Ruby’s concerned face. Weiss realised she hadn’t replied yet, so she cleared her throat and mustered up a tiny smile.

“It is.” She confessed. Ruby frowned and shifted closer to her, her thigh bumping hers. “It is, but I’ll have to get through it. Our mission points us in that direction, so that’s that.” She didn’t mean for it to sound so bitter, but a part of her couldn’t help it. 

Ruby shifted again, tentatively moving her arm around her shoulders in a more comfortable position.

“I’m sorry.” Ruby said, and she sounded so _sad_. Weiss saw the guilt in her eyes, the slight shake of her shoulders that indicated her feelings quite well. Weiss sighed and shook her head, reaching out to grasp Ruby’s other hand.

“Don’t say that.” Weiss said, squeezing Ruby’s hand. “You have nothing to apologise for. Absolutely nothing has been your fault, Ruby. Yes, I don’t want to go back there. But we have to.” Weiss said, allowing Ruby to press closer to her side. She let herself deflate a little, Ruby’s warmth and softness encouraging her to lay her head on her shoulder, getting comfier in her hold.

“We have to, and I understand that. And besides, you promised you’d be there for me. All of you.” Weiss said softly, and she felt more than saw Ruby’s vigorous nodding. “So, I have nothing to fear.”

Ruby squeezed her shoulder, and Weiss felt her nod again before she straightened herself back up, looking into Ruby’s eyes. Ruby grinned at her, and her eyes looked brighter than before, almost shiny. Weiss blinked and felt her cheeks heat up at the look on her face, her dorky smile on display.

“What?” Weiss almost snapped out of embarrassment, glancing away from the soft look. Ruby just giggled and bounced lightly on the bed, pointing to Weiss’ face.

“Nice Weiss strikes again.” Ruby teased, and Weiss groaned at her, swatting the finger out of her face. Ruby cackled for another minute or so, the unamused expression on Weiss’ face fuelling the fire.

Once Ruby calmed down, Weiss felt her lip quirk up at the beaming smile on her face. She rolled her eyes and flicked Ruby’s shoulder, the girl barely flinching. The smile never wavered, and Weiss couldn’t help the leap in her heart with the way they were acting with each other. As if no time had passed, as if they _weren’t_ going towards the place Weiss hated the most. It comforted her to see that Ruby was still Ruby, underneath the hard decisions and leadership.

Weiss sighed lightly, indulging herself in drinking in Ruby’s eyes, her smile, the warm and comforting vibe she always gave off. She was so grateful to have her team, but especially Ruby, and it hit her right then more than ever how thankful she would always be for her partner.

“Stop.” Weiss found herself saying, and Ruby’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but her smile remained, just turned more questioning.

“Stop what?” Ruby said in a gentle voice, and Weiss bumped their shoulders together, not being able to fight her own grin.

“Please, stop smiling at me like that. I’m not sure what will happen if you keep doing that.” Weiss teasingly warned, and Ruby’s eyebrow quirked up at that, her smile widening and a giggle escaping her lips.

“Oooo, I’m so scared!” Ruby feigned terror, hands coming up to cup her own cheeks to act it out more. Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head as Ruby jumped off the bed. “What are you gonna do, huh? Chase me? I’m the fastest in all the land!”

Weiss raised her brows, lips morphing into an amused smile against her will as Ruby shot over to the door, sliding it open.

“I very well bet I could catch you.” Weiss shot back, and Ruby gasped, eyes widening as if genuinely offended.

“Try it! Let’s settle this with a totally professional, absolutely necessary, game of…” Ruby trailed off, smirk on her face as she let the pause drag out for dramatic effect, giggling when Weiss glared at her. “Tag!”

Weiss sighed and lifted herself off the bed, crossing her arms and cocking her hip out, raising her eyebrow at Ruby.

“I assure you,” Weiss started, an unfamiliar childish glee swirling in her stomach when Ruby’s eyes lit up, her one foot already out the door. “I’ll win this game.”

Ruby giggled and backed out of the room, sending Weiss a salute.

“Good luck trying!”

And with that, she took off down the hall of the train, and Weiss sputtered, acting quickly and rushing after her.

It was childish, and their laughter was probably too loud, and they may have interrupted Blake and Yang’s moment in the dining cart. But, they could care less, because it was the most fun they’d both had in a long while.

And when Weiss eventually caught up to tag her, Ruby sent her that same smile again.

And this time, Weiss wasn’t going to tell her to stop it. 


	14. Cute (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: “Yeah, yeah. You’re cute. Just stop smiling at me like that.”
> 
> premise: i tried something different with this one, so i set it in an AU with bartender!ruby and weiss goes to her bar (featuring blake and yang for a bit)

“You know, I’m regretting coming here with you.” Weiss grumbled as Blake just snorted at her, pushing her inside the bar gently.

“You’ll thank me later.” Blake replied smoothly, stepping a bit in front of her to look around the place, before she brought her eyes back to her friend. Weiss glared at her, and Blake just smiled that insufferable, laid back smile again. “Come on, Weiss. You need to go out more, loosen up a little!” Blake gestured around them, prompting Weiss to follow with her eyes. She grimaced when she saw a couple making out in a booth near them, fighting the urge to run out of there.

“I don’t need to ‘loosen up’. I’m quite loose, thank you.” Weiss said. Blake blinked at her and then giggled into her hand for a second, before turning away and encouraging Weiss to follow her.

“There are… Too many jokes I could make with that sentence right now.” Blake said teasingly, and Weiss furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before her cheeks lit up in a blush and she smacked Blake’s shoulder. Blake laughed and lead them to the bar itself, propping herself up on one of the stools. “But I won’t, because I love you, and because I love you, we should order something now and get wasted. Sound good?”

Weiss sat on the stool next to her and scowled at the array of drinks behind the bar, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Not really.” She replied, and Blake sighed next to her, the faunus touching her hand to get her to look her in the eyes. She sent Weiss a warm smile.

“Weiss, you went through a lot this week. Not getting the promotion, landlord being greedy, and your love life is kind of…” Blake trailed off when Weiss’ nostrils flared out, the girl nervously pulling her hands away from her in surrender. “I won’t go there. Anyway, a lot went down, and I just wanted you to come out and have fun with me, okay? If you absolutely want to leave in, let’s say, the next hour, we can go. I promise.” Blake smiled at her with care and warmth, and Weiss sighed deeply, glancing away.

“Alright, fine.” Weiss grumbled, and Blake’s smile widened as she nodded once at her, before turning her gaze towards the bar, looking all around.

“Wonder where the bartender i-”

“I’m so sorry! I’m here, I’m here, I just had this really mean guy telling me off that I made his drink wrong and I couldn’t handle it so I just stood there and let it happen and I took too long to come over here and I’m really, really, sorry!”

Blake and Weiss stared at the girl in front of them, who looked much younger than she probably really was. She was panting and looking between them, eyes wide. Weiss’ gaze roamed up and down the girl, taking note of her spiked red-tipped hair and… Interesting attire. Weiss blinked at the corset around the girl’s torso, and she didn’t even realise she was staring so hard until Blake cleared her throat and nudged her side, pulling her eyes back up to the mystery girl’s silver ones.

“Huh?” Weiss uttered, and Blake looked like she wanted to face palm. The girl smiled politely at her and pointed behind her to all the drinks, eyebrows raised to her hairline.

“What’s your poison, beautiful?” The girl said smoothly, and Weiss felt herself completely shut down with that alone. Blake even seemed impressed for a millisecond at how bold the bartender was, but she stayed out of it.

Weiss’ cheeks glowed red, and she cleared her throat, looking around at the drinks behind the girl.

“Um… I don’t know. Any recommendations?” Weiss asked, and the girl’s eyes lit up, hands pressing onto the counter between them in excitement.

“Oh, you gotta try our special drink. It’s called Dragon’s Breath! My sister made it herself.” The girl said with pride, clearly enjoying singing her sister’s praises. Blake’s ears flicked at this, head tilting.

“Your sister owns this place?” Blake butted in, and the girl nodded enthusiastically, pointing somewhere off in the distance.

“Yup! Her name’s Yang. She and I run this place together. That’s her over there.” The girl said cheerfully, and both Blake and Weiss looked over to who she was referring to. Blake’s ears pricked forward with interest, and Weiss also had to admit the woman was very beautiful with her long golden hair and lilac eyes. She was laughing with another person and talking animatedly with her hands, one that was mechanical.

“Interesting.” Blake murmured, and Weiss felt dread seep into her stomach when her friend spun around in her stool and looked at Weiss, a look in her eye and expression on her face that meant that Weiss wasn’t going to happy in the next few seconds. “You’re okay here by yourself, right?” Blake said, smirking a little when her eyes briefly flitted over to Yang in the corner. Weiss sputtered, glaring at her friend.

“Um, no? You brought me here!” Weiss screeched, and Blake stood up from the stool, clasping her hands together towards Weiss.

“I’ll make it up to you, promise. Text me if you need me, okay?” Blake said quickly, and with that, she bolted and made her way over to Yang. Weiss stared at her back as she sauntered up to the girl, Yang looking confused but also intrigued.

She huffed and shook her head in disbelief, turning to the bar top and slouching herself over it, utterly at a loss of what to do now that her companion was gone.

The bartender cleared her throat, catching her attention. Weiss glanced up at her, straightening herself up on her stool, throwing a mask over her emotions.

“Sorry.” Weiss said quietly, and the bartender just grinned at her, shrugging and turning towards the array of drinks behind her, grabbing a bottle of something.

“It’s cool. I’ve dealt with weirder people before.” The bartender said cheekily, pouring the contents of the drink into a glass and sliding it to Weiss. Weiss raised an eyebrow at the concoction and wrapped her hand around the glass, raising it to eye level to look at it. The bartender chuckled at her. “It won’t kill you, I promise. You should try it.”

Weiss hummed and lowered the glass, looking at the girl in front of her. The bartender sent her an encouraging smile, and Weiss sighed lightly. Without any more hesitation, she threw the drink back.

And immediately regretted it when her throat burned and her tongue sizzled. Weiss swallowed it quickly and coughed into her arm, the bartender looking startled and sheepish at her reaction.

“What… Ugh.. Blegh… What _is_ that?” Weiss sputtered, voice scratchy as she pushed the glass away, chest hurting from whatever concoction that was. The bartender giggled at her and shrugged, taking the glass.

“The drink my sister made.” The bartender looked up at her, before she scratched the back of her head, cheeks turning slightly pink. “Sorry about that.”

“God, you should be.” Weiss cleared her throat, coughs subsiding somewhat. The girl grinned sheepishly, nodding her head a little as she picked up the glass.

“I’m sorry, let me get you something else. Is there anything you’d like… Um…?” The bartender trailed off, and Weiss was able to catch on that she was looking for her name. Strange, considering bartenders usually don’t care for that information. But, Weiss weighed out her options at the moment, realising that her only company had abandoned her to flirt with some random girl, and it might get lonely sitting here by herself. And, this bartender wasn’t… Bad looking, or that bad of company. She was actually pretty cute, as Weiss gazed over her features.

Weiss swallowed and fiddled with her fingers, looking into the bartender’s striking silver eyes.

“Weiss.” She said, and the girl’s smile widened at that. Weiss hated that it made her look even cuter than before.

“Weiss.” The bartender repeated, and Weiss found herself blushing at how it sounded coming from her. “Beautiful name. My name’s Ruby.” 

_Ruby_ reached out her hand towards her, and Weiss tentatively held hers out as well, clasping their hands together in a handshake. They shook hands, Weiss marvelling at how soft and warm Ruby’s was.

Ruby pulled her hand away and turned around, the girl tapping her chin at the layers of drinks. She hummed and darted to the left, grabbing a bottle and coming back to Weiss, showing her the label.

“Maybe something like this?” Ruby suggested, and Weiss noticed the cute, concentrated look to her face, the way her brow crinkled. 

How was this bartender so cute?

Weiss glanced at the bottle, not recognising the name, but it looked more appealing than the last one. She sighed and shrugged again, allowing Ruby to pour it into her glass and slide it over to her.

Weiss raised it to her lips and swallowed some of it. It burned a little bit, but not as much as the last one, and she found she liked how the sweet taste trickled down her throat. She finished it quickly, licking her lips after as she placed the glass back down. 

She met Ruby’s eyes, the girl blinking at her in surprise, and Weiss just shifted in her seat.

“I liked that one.” Weiss stated, and Ruby giggled cutely at her, refilling the glass all the way to the top, bright smile on her face when Weiss sipped on it.

“Pretty obvious.” Ruby replied, and Weiss huffed out a laugh. Ruby bit her lip and tapped the bar top, glancing all over Weiss’ face as she sipped more of her drink. She looked contemplative for a second, before she cleared her throat, and with red cheeks, she leaned forward a little.

“Hey, um… I know we just met, but whatever problems brought you here with your friend… I just wanna say I hope it gets better.” Ruby said softly, leaning over the bar top so she could hear her. Her voice was gentle, and she had a warm smile on her face directed towards her. 

Weiss wasn’t sure how to respond at first, completely taken off guard with her nice words. She hadn’t heard that from anyone besides Blake- and with this random bartender that she just met, those same hopeful words hit her in the heart harder than she cared to admit. Her life was kind of mess at the moment, and talking with Ruby had actually relieved some of her stress, even if it’s been brief.

Ruby’s lips remained in that adorable smile she’s been wearing the whole night, and Weiss found her eyes drawn to it for a second, the alcohol in her system giving her a bit of courage to speak her mind. Her lip quirked up in a smile back at her, and she leaned forward a little, Ruby’s eyes widening a bit at the proximity.

“My night’s been going better since I got here.” Weiss said, leaning her chin on her hand and tilting her head, looking at Ruby through her lashes. Ruby blinked at her, cheeks turning a deeper shade of red, and she sputtered a laugh in disbelief.

“Uhhh… Oh, wow. Okay.” Ruby replied, and Weiss fought the urge to snort- _that_ wouldn’t have been cute at all. Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, clearing her throat and straightening herself back up. She pulled out a pen from her back pocket, then grabbed a napkin from behind her. She wrote something down on it as Weiss finished her drink fully, watching her intently.

Ruby bit her lip, but it didn’t stop the cheeky smile that formed when she slid the napkin towards Weiss, bouncing on her toes when the woman looked down at it.

“You seem pretty cool, Weiss. And, you know… Maybe we can hang out sometime?” Ruby looked at her with shining silver eyes, looking so hopeful and adorable. “I wouldn’t disappoint, I promise. Look at my adorable face!”

Weiss’ eyes caught that smile again, and she rolled her eyes fondly at the girl, glancing down at the napkin with her number on it.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re cute. Just stop smiling at me like that.” Weiss was surprisingly feeling more cheeky than usual, and Ruby seemed taken aback at the compliment, but it made her smile grow. Weiss blamed all of this on the alcohol she drank- she was always a lightweight.

“Oh, you think I’m cute, huh?” Ruby smirked at her, and Weiss sucked in a breath at the look in her eyes. “You’re cute too. Call me sometime.” She pointed to the napkin, sending Weiss a salute before she started shuffling to the right, noticing a few patrons waiting to be served. “Catch you later, Weiss.”

Ruby walked away to deal with the other patrons, and Weiss was reeling from that whole interaction. She glanced down at the napkin again, gazing over the numbers written there. She found herself smiling a little, a soft and warm feeling spreading throughout her chest when she remembered Ruby’s words.

Maybe coming tonight wasn’t that bad, after all. 


	15. Night Off (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: “Please, stop smiling at me like that. I’m not sure what will happen if you keep doing that.”
> 
> premise: the bees' night off in volume 7, just before everything goes to shit basically

“Gods, I’m glad to be out of there.” Blake grumbled, reaching up to massage her faunus ears that were now aching. The club they joined Team FNKI at was fun, and dancing with Yang made the night even more special, but there was only so much her cat ears could take.

She felt a hand on the small of her back, and she blinked open her eyes, lowering her hands to her sides and turning her head to look at Yang, who sported concerned lilac eyes.

“You okay? I’m sorry if… I don’t know, if you felt like you had to come just because of me.” Yang’s mouth morphed into a frown, and Blake’s heart clenched at the apologetic look on her face. Blake immediately shook her head and reached out a hand, brushing her fingers along Yang’s human one.

“You never pressured me into doing anything, Yang.” Blake reassured her, catching her eyes. “I had a lot of fun tonight. The noise can just be a bit too much for me, that’s all.” Blake said, sending her a small smile. Yang still didn’t seem totally convinced, so Blake sighed and stopped walking, prompting Yang to stop with her. Yang blinked at her, and Blake thought she looked utterly adorable with the deer in the headlights look on her face.

“Yang.” Blake said. “I promise, I’m okay. Honestly, you made the night more bearable than it would have been if I went alone. I’m… Glad we got to spend time together.” Blake said softly, averting her gaze slightly due to the admission. Yang’s lip quirked up in a small smile, and she sighed, nudging Blake’s shoulder with her own.

“When did you get so damn cheesy?” Yang teased, laughing when Blake’s ears pulled back and she gave her a glare that held no malice at all. Blake huffed and started to walk down the empty, dead street again, Yang jogging to catch up with her quick strides. “No, really, when did that happen? I’d like to know.” Yang was clearly still teasing her.

Blake huffed again and suddenly smirked, deciding to shoot back with her own teasing. Two can play this game, Yang.

“And when did _you_ get so damn blush-y and flustered, hm?” Blake said, smirk growing when she chanced a glance to her side and saw Yang’s cheeks glowing red, a shocked expression on her face. “No, really, when did _that_ happen, Yang?”

“Okay, whoa there, hold up… We weren’t talking about me!” Yang protested, and Blake giggled into her hand when Yang rubbed the back of her neck, something Blake realised was a cute, nervous tick of hers.

“And now we are. Funny how things work like that.” Blake mused, and Yang groaned at her, shoving her slightly in retaliation.

“Gods, you’re annoying.” Yang whined, but when Blake gazed over into her eyes again, the two of them walking in step with each other, she saw no truth to that statement.

Blake let out a soft smile, and taking a chance, reached out and grasped Yang’s human hand in her own, marvelling in the shift in Yang’s eyes. They were less teasing and more shy, more apprehensive.

“Maybe.” Blake replied, squeezing Yang’s hand. “But you love me.” Blake meant for it as a passing joke, just a silly little thing. But Yang blinked at her, and whatever went through her mind, Blake didn’t know. But Yang gripped her hand more firmly, and flashed a smile before she averted her eyes to look ahead of them.

“Yeah.” Yang whispered, and it seemed more to herself than to Blake, but Blake’s sensitive hearing still picked up on it. She flitted her eyes over to Yang, whose eyes were looking at the buildings around them, the streetlights bouncing off of her golden hair and making it look even more shiny and beautiful. Her eyes sparkled, and Blake found her heart skipping a beat in realisation of what Yang might have meant with that simple “yeah”.

A slow, but affectionate smile crept onto her face the longer she watched Yang. It took a bit for Yang to notice, but she eventually did. Her cheeks were now dusted with pink, and she laughed, a little awkwardly.

“Uh, what?” Yang said. Blake’s gentle smile remained, and she shrugged, flitting her eyes all over Yang’s features. 

“Just admiring the view.” Blake said smoothly, and she was delighted to see Yang’s blush deepen. She sputtered for a bit and scratched her neck, looking away.

“Stop.” Yang replied, and Blake giggled, Yang returning her gaze to her. Yang huffed a laugh at her, rolling her eyes. “You’re such a gremlin, you know that?”

“I take pride in it.” Blake said cheekily, continuing to smile softly at her. Yang sighed and glanced at the smile on her face, her lilac eyes softening. Their steps had slowed somewhat, but they still continued meandering down the street, hands locked together. Yang glanced between Blake’s eyes and her smile, a playful look in her eye starting to surface.

“You better stop that.” Yang warned, pulling Blake to a stop. They stood in the middle of the dark street, and Blake raised an eyebrow at her words, looking at her with slight confusion. 

“Stop what?” Blake said, and Yang grinned at her, pointing to her mouth.

“That smile is killing me right now, Belladonna.” Yang said, wagging her finger. Blake giggled at the finger in her face, lightly blushing at what Yang said. She took it in stride though, as usual, and she blatantly made sure her smile was even more cheesy and loving than before.

“And?” Blake said, and Yang breathed out a laugh at her, glancing all over her face.

“Just please, stop smiling at me like that. I’m not sure what will happen if you keep doing that.” Yang said, voice turning into a soft mumble towards the end, and Blake found that she enjoyed the slight shiver that travelled down her spine with the way Yang was looking at her. 

Blake took a breath, then smirked at her and pulled her hand away, raising both her hands in a mock surrender.

“Oh _no_ , please.” Blake feigned a breathless type of voice, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “Whatever will I do if the big, bad, Yang Xiao Long comes after me?”

Yang snorted at her display, before a smirk that matched her own formed onto her lips. She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers, and Blake began backing up down the street, Yang following her.

“I guess we’ll find out!” Yang bellowed, and Blake snorted, quickly turning and running down the street. Yang’s footsteps pounded behind her, and their laughter filled the air as they played this game of cat and mouse.

Eventually, Yang caught up to her after Blake cheated with a bunch of her clones, and Blake laughed as Yang wrapped her arms around her from behind, encircling her in safety and warmth. She enjoyed it a lot; she always enjoyed doing anything with Yang.

But, unfortunately, life had other plans, and just as Blake was turning around to tease Yang some more, sirens blared and Atlas military began flooding down the street, catching their attention.

“What the hell?” Yang said, eyes following the line of military. Blake furrowed her brows and pulled out her scroll, a gasp escaping her at what she saw. Yang looked over her shoulder and also gasped, the images of Grimm, Jacques Schnee, and Penny in a room full of murdered people greeting them both.

“Penny?” Blake mumbled in disbelief, before a shout ahead brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She pocketed her scroll and pulled out Gambol Shroud, looking at Yang as she activated Ember Celica. They looked at each other, and with some exasperated smirks, began moving forward.

“Duty calls, right?” Yang said, and Blake hummed.

“I knew a night off sounded too good to be true.” Blake replied, and with a laugh from Yang, they shot into the night, going to join the military and help as much as they could.

At least everything before that point was something to hold on to before the fight overtook them. 


	16. little do you know (i need a little more time) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "i'm worried about you" (angst prompt on tumblr)
> 
> premise: on the train to Atlas at the start of volume 6, that moment in the intro where blake and yang sit together in the dining cart, then weiss and ruby run past them playing tag. I'm placing this at that moment.

Yang sat down first, having called for the window seat the minute they entered the dining cart. Blake watched intently as she crossed her arms on top of the table, head turned to face the window. She fiddled with one of her cuffs, eyes flicking from the space beside Yang to the space on the opposite side of the table.

Where does she sit?

Things seem... Okay between her and Yang at the moment, given all that’s happened. She was speaking to her, and not completely ignoring her or cussing her out, which was a good sign. But, Blake didn’t want to press her luck any further than she may have already. So, with a flick of her right ear, she cleared her throat and began shuffling towards the other side of the table.

“Hey.”

Blake froze mid-step, pointer finger and thumb pinching the side of her white coat. Her ears perked up on her head, betraying all her inner feelings about that sweet voice, a single, soft ‘hey’ leaving her winded.

“You can sit here, you know.” Yang continued, patting the spot right beside her. Blake turned her body around to face Yang again, eyes descending to look at the cushioned spot at her side. She met Yang’s eyes, which didn’t give much away except a small glint in them that said to Blake that things were okay. The cherry on top was Yang’s small smile sent towards her, and when Yang patted the spot again, Blake didn’t hesitate any longer.

“Thanks.” Blake said softly back, slight smile on her lips as she took the seat next to her. Yang hummed and then returned her gaze to the window, leaning her chin on her hand. Blake’s hands remained in her lap underneath the table, fidgeting and twitching with nervousness.

Blake glanced to her right at Yang’s profile, the tips of her eyelashes lifting up and down whenever she blinked. It was too quiet- her thoughts were beginning to fill the silence and none of them were good.

She raised her arms onto the table, shaking it a little and causing Yang to jump. Yang looked at her quizzically, and Blake’s ears flattened on her head. Her cheeks were warm.

“Sorry.” Blake said. Yang stared at her for a moment, her eyes showing much more than before. The lilac was swirling, and it looked like she had so much to say but had no idea how to say any of it. Blake held her breath when Yang opened her mouth, eager and on the edge of her seat as to what she would say-

“Weiss, get back here!”

“I’m gonna win this game, Ruby!”

Yang’s lips clamped shut again. Blake released the breath she was holding, their quiet and serene atmosphere broken by their teammates bursting into the dining cart. Weiss was _giggling,_ a carefree smile on her face as she ran away from Ruby, who looked just as giddy to be chasing her partner in their game of tag. Blake couldn’t help but smile as they ran past, their laughter bouncing around the cart until they exited on the other side, leaving the place quiet again.

When Blake looked back to Yang, she was gazing outside again, watching the snowflakes hit the glass.

Blake sighed deeply and played with her hands, looking around the dining cart with a frown. The silence was too much, and she hated feeling so withdrawn from her own partner. She sighed again and looked up and down the dining cart, frown remained on her lips.

“Isn’t this where people, you know, _dine_? Where’s the service around here?” Blake mumbled, lighthearted lilt to her voice. She felt a rumble beside her, internally sighing with relief when Yang’s shoulder started to ease up, her body beginning to relax in her seat.

“Qrow and Ruby probably ate everything already.” Yang said. Blake let out a small laugh at that, and Yang eased up a little bit more, removing her eyes from the window and looking at Blake. Yang smiled softly at her, rolling her eyes. “I just know the cookie stash is gone for sure.”

Blake nodded in agreement, giggling into her hand.

“Ruby _does_ have a nose for cookies. Are we sure she’s the Huntress and Zwei is the dog?” Blake joked back, and that finally got Yang to crack a bit more, a laugh escaping her lips sharply, as if she meant to keep it inside. They laughed for a little more together, their shoulders bumping rhythmically.

Yang calmed down first with a light sigh from her lips. She looked at Blake again, levelling her with a soft stare that went straight to her heart.

“I’m glad you’re back, Blake.” Yang said. It seemed like an admission, as if it was bottled inside for far too long, probably since their reunion. Blake blinked a few times, ears flicking as she felt her cheeks warm up again. Before she got lost in that feeling- the feeling of possibly building back a beautiful bond that they shared, Blake stopped herself. Yang was comfortable with her right now, and seemed to be opening up a bit more with her again.

With this in mind, Blake cleared her throat and maintained eye contact with Yang.

“Yang.” Blake breathed out, already feeling the bubbling of tears coming to the surface. Yang’s eyebrows furrowed at her tone, eyes roaming all over her face. Blake took a shaky breath to calm herself. “Yang, I- I just... I hope you know that I-”

“Blake.” Yang stopped her with a hand over hers, the warmth spreading up her wrist and arm to land all the way into her heart. “Don’t. We’re good, I promise.” Yang said, her stormy eyes contradicting the gentle smile on her face. Blake frowned and glanced at their hands, then shook her head.

“No, Yang, I just- I wish I was here. That’s all.” Blake murmured, ears drooping to follow her emotions. “You haven’t talked about... Anything, really. Nothing about being back at Patch, or-” Blake caught herself and glanced to her right at Yang, whose jaw was clenched now as she pulled her hand away from hers. Blake’s brows furrowed in both confusion and anguish. “I’m worried about you. We used to talk for hours on end in our bunks when those two were asleep. We used to whisper to each other when I hung off the edge of the bed, giggling at your stupid puns. We used to just... Be.” Blake poured out all her thoughts, hoping to catch a glimpse of something in Yang that told her things were _truly_ okay, that things would be normal again.

But Yang just shook her head and sighed, withdrawing into herself and crossing her arms, the metal of her robotic arm clanking against the wooden table. Blake’s eyes were drawn to it, and her heart broke when Yang covered it up with her other arm, looking away from her.

“It’s the past, Blake. That stuff is over. We’re on a train to Atlas right now, about to face things we’ve never faced before or seen before. We just... Have to focus on the mission, okay?” Yang said it with such finality. She wouldn’t meet her eyes anymore, and Blake felt those self-loathing thoughts rushing back, gnawing at her brain that this was her fault, she deserved it, Yang didn’t owe her anything, why did she think she’d be able to build this bond again?

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed the lump in her throat, taking a breath before opening her eyes again. She eventually nodded, both she and Yang looking separate ways again, but neither of them moving or leaving the dining cart.

“Right. The mission.” Blake said.

And with that, a server finally showed up and asked them what they would like to eat. Neither of them were hungry anymore.

Yang stared out the window. Blake stared at the table.

So close, yet so far apart. 


	17. Let Me Take Care of You (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: “You’re hurt, please just let someone take care of *you* for once. Let me take care of you.”
> 
> premise: Cotta-Arc household in volume 6 basically

Everyone was getting ready for bed at the Cotta-Arc household when Blake noticed it. It was subtle, and Yang had gotten better at hiding her injuries and emotions, almost as well as her. But, she knows what that’s like, so when she saw the telltale sign of Yang shrinking in on herself, a slight wince to her expression and a sigh to keep all the pain inside, Blake knew right away.

It wasn’t that long ago that the team, as well as Oscar, Qrow and Maria, all had a brush with death at the farm, where those... _Things_ were buried down below. Blake shuddered at the memory, and immediately pushed it out of her mind as quickly as it came. However, one thing stuck out to her- during all the chaos, no one stopped to check for injuries. No one asked about it on the way back- everyone was silent, taking care of Ruby after she used her silver eyes and also gathering their wits after everything happened.

Yang was attempting to slink past everyone and head up the stairs to her assigned room undetected, but Blake noticed immediately. She glanced around at everyone dispersing, Ruby and Weiss talking quietly on the sofa together, while Qrow leaned against the wall with his head tilted, deep in thought. When Blake’s eyes flicked back to Yang, she was halfway up the stairs.

“Night guys.” Blake said quickly, and before anyone could respond, she was up and following Yang up the stairs. By the time she ascended all the stairs, Yang was walking into her assigned room, just turning around when Blake sidled up to the opened door. Their eyes met when she was just about to close the door, lilac meeting amber- one set full of confusion and another set full of worry.

“Blake?” Yang said quietly, eyebrows furrowing. Her mechanical hand was on the door, ready to push it closed. Blake stood there outside the room, eyes roaming over Yang’s face, then down to her left wrist. She saw that Yang was holding it close to her stomach, barely moving it at all. Blake frowned and flicked her eyes back up to Yang’s.

“Can I see?” Blake replied. Yang blinked, a curtain falling over her face in mere seconds, hiding her pain- hiding her emotions from her, _again_.

“What?” Yang said, the coy act falling flat when she moved her wrist, a hiss escaping through her teeth. Blake took a step forward, and Yang held up her right hand, shaking her head. “I’m fine. You should get some sleep, we have a crazy day tomorrow.”

“Yang, you’re hurt.” Blake said, taking another step forward. Yang sighed and lowered her hand, shrugging and looking away, hair falling in her face.

“I’m fine.”

Blake felt a tug at her heart with how small Yang looked, her voice coming out in a whisper. She knew they weren’t in a good place at the moment, with that incident at the farm which still confused her. But Yang was her partner, and she needed to start making it up to her in a better way.

“Yang.” Blake said in a gentle tone, taking a small step forward. Yang met her gaze, and Blake sent her a warm smile. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

“I’m not hiding. Do you see me shutting this door and locking it up? No, so therefore, not hiding.” Yang said, gesturing to the open door. Blake sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Yang grinned at her, but it was instantly washed away when she attempted to move her wrist again, the hitch in her breath indicating her pain. 

“ _Yang_.” Blake said, an edge of desperation in her voice. Yang clenched her jaw, probably at both Blake and the pain, and shook her head.

“I’m seriously okay, Blake. You’ve probably got your own injuries to look after so just- just leave.” Yang’s shoulders sagged at the end, voice lowering. Blake’s heart clenched painfully in her chest, Yang’s words hitting her like shards of glass. 

But Blake wasn’t leaving again. She wouldn’t leave her partner in this state, even if she wanted her to.

“I’m not leaving.” Blake said firmly.

Yang looked up at her, emotionless mask on her face as she held her left wrist close to her. Blake stood there for a moment, before she dared another step towards her. Yang opened her mouth- to protest, maybe- but then shut it again, sighing deeply. Blake stayed where she was, eyes cast down at Yang’s injured wrist. 

“Just let me help. Please?” Blake said, raising her eyes to Yang’s face. Yang flicked her lilac orbs to amber ones, clearly contemplative. “I won’t tell Ruby, or Weiss or Qrow. But you can’t deflect this any longer. You’re always taking care of everyone else, but what about you?”

“Me?”

“You’re hurt, please just let someone take care of _you_ for once. Let me take care of you.”

Yang seemed taken aback at that. Blake waited patiently for Yang to give her the go ahead to come closer, or for her to finally leave. Yang chewed on her bottom lip, and after minutes of deep thought, finally let out a long sigh and looked away, quietly nodding.

Blake immediately entered the room, Yang backing up and sitting on the bed. Blake shut the door, then proceeded to sit down beside Yang on the edge of the bed. She reached for her wrist, and Yang allowed the contact, wincing a little when Blake put pressure on her wrist. The last time Blake held part of her like this, it was in that small shack, when she held Yang’s hand to comfort her about Adam. Her heart was soaring back then, when Yang allowed her to do that, to be there for her like she wanted to be ever since the reunion. She missed Yang so much, and when she pulled away from her, it tore her heart out all over again.

She’s grateful for this second chance.

“Yang... Gods...”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Not that-? Yang, _it’s purple.”_ Blake huffed, ears pulled back in anger at whatever caused this to happen. She figured it was back at the farm of course, possibly one of those things had grabbed at it in the confusion and mayhem. Whatever the case, it was bad.

“Purple’s my favourite colour, so it’s not that bad.” Yang said, and Blake shot her a look.

“I think we should wrap it up for the time being, and you should try not to move it.” Blake said, glancing up at Yang. Yang let out a long breath, then nodded, seemingly relenting to being taken care of. Blake pursed her lips and looked around the room, searching for something to wrap the wrist up with.

“There’s gauze in the bathroom.” Yang said, prompting Blake to return her eyes to her. “Down the hall on the left.”

Blake nodded once and got off the bed, but before she could leave the room, Yang’s voice stopped her

“Blake.”

Blake turned around, hand on the doorknob. Yang wasn’t looking at her, but her rigid posture and overcast eyes were clear signs of her emotions. Yang played with a loose thread on her jacket.

“Thank you.” Yang said.

Blake’s stomach shifted around at those two simple words, her heart pricked with relief and something else she couldn’t quite name at the moment. But this was major progress towards bettering their relationship- which is what she’s wanted this whole time. Maybe they could get back to a good place- as long as Yang was ready.

“Of course.” She replied, gently smiling at her. “I know what it’s like to hide, Yang. I know that better than anybody. But, coming out of the shadows, letting people in... It’s not so bad, you know.”

She left Yang with that statement as she went to retrieve the gauze from the bathroom. When she came back to wrap up Yang’s wrist, Yang’s posture was less rigid, and her eyes seemed less hardened and more soft.

Things weren’t completely okay. But Blake was trying, and Yang was letting her try. 

That’s gotta count for something.


	18. Green-Eyed Monster (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "OH, you're jealous." 
> 
> premise: volume 7, when they get their night off at the club with Team FNKI

When Blake came back from the bathroom in the club, she didn’t expect her blood to start boiling.

But, here she was, blood simmering and ears pulled back at the sight before her. She honestly should have expected something like this to happen, considering Neon is the world’s biggest flirt and pot-stirrer. But Yang convinced her to come out to tonight, and asked her to give Neon and the rest of Team FNKI a chance. 

And, of course, she would never deny Yang anything.

But coming out of the bathroom to see the girl essentially crawling over Yang’s lap at the bar and giggling into her ear as if they had some sort of secret just between them _really_ struck a nerve. She and Yang were... _Something._ She didn’t know what exactly, but there was something there and no way was Neon going to get in the way of that.

So, like the rational, graceful Huntress she was, and cracked her knuckles and sauntered up to the pair at the bar, Neon taking a shot just as she strolled up. Yang’s face was buried behind vibrant pink hair, so when Blake crossed her arms and flared her nostrils at the bundle of rainbows in her lap, she didn’t see her right away.

“Ohhhh, hey, Blakey!” Neon squealed, reaching her hands out towards Blake. Blake raised an eyebrow at the girl, staying just out of reach. Yang popped her head around Neon to level Blake with a look that screamed ‘please help me.’

Blake smirked and looked at Neon, the colourful girl taking another shot and slamming the glass down onto the bar.

“So glad you made it back! I was just warming up this seat, hehe.” Neon giggled so obnoxiously that Blake really wanted to throw her across the room. But, she remained composed.

“Is that so?” Blake replied. Neon just nodded enthusiastically, clearly not picking up on the vibes that Blake was trying to give off. Yang cleared her throat and glanced between the two for a moment, Blake’s amber eyes glowing. “Well, I’m sure that seat needs some time to breathe, don’t you think? Would you kindly _get off_?”Blake’s sickly sweet voice sent shivers down Yang’s spine, the light growl in her throat adding onto it. Neon tilted her head, the girl clearly so drunk she didn’t understand what was really happening. She puffed her cheeks out and then shrugged, hopping off Yang’s lap and wobbling a little on her skates.

“Yeah, sure thing, Blakey. Seat’s all yours! Don’t gotta be so rude about it.” Neon giggled and wiggled her fingers at both of them as she skated backwards into the dancing crowd. “See ya later, losers!”

Blake’s glare followed her all the way into the crowd until she couldn’t see her anymore. Once she was for sure gone, Blake let out a breath and let her shoulders relax, settling herself down on the stool beside Yang.

“Wow. That was... Better than I could have hoped. Thanks for the backup there, partner.” Yang smiled wide, colour on her cheeks as she motioned to the bartender for some more shots. Blake snorted and shook her head, leaning her chin on her hand and shrugging.

“You ask, I deliver.” Blake replied. Yang glanced at her, their eyes prolonging their contact, electricity sparking with just one look. Yang smirked then, and Blake furrowed her eyebrows.

“Never knew you could get so aggressive.” Yang teased, dodging the swipe that Blake sent at her. Blake grumbled and took one of the shots that the bartender had brought over, downing it in seconds. She licked her lips afterwards, shrugging and avoiding Yang’s gaze.

“I just thought I’d put my acting skills to good use. Had to make it believable that I wanted her out of here, right?” Blake said, tilting her head to look out in the crowd again, praying that Neon was occupied still. Yang hummed and took her own shot, Blake noticing her thumb swipe across her bottom lip in the corner of her eye. 

“Fair point.” Yang said. “But it seemed a little extra, don’t you think?”

Blake sighed and met Yang’s eyes. There was a lilt to her voice and a twinkle in her eye, her lips desperately trying to keep her laughter under control at the whole situation. Blake narrowed her eyes into slits at her partner, crossing her arms in defiance.

“Would you rather have her still in your lap?” Blake shot back, and Yang blinked several times at her. She also narrowed her eyes, both of them having a staring contest for a minute before Yang’s eyes widened. Blake’s breath hitched when Yang shot close to her, pointing her finger in her face.

“OH,” Yang exclaimed, and before Blake could say anything, she pounded the truth into her face. “You’re jealous.”

Blake’s face heated up immediately, eyes slowly blinking at the finger in her face. She quickly recovered, scoffing and shoving the finger out of her way. Yang stayed close to her, though.

“Am not. I was just trying to help you.” Blake replied, but she knew it was a lost cause. Yang was smiling widely now, eyes crinkling as she began to laugh cheerfully.

“By ripping Neon a new asshole? Sure, whatever you say!” Yang guffawed, and Blake groaned so loud she thought the whole club would be able to hear it. She huffed and shrunk in on herself, looking away from her buffoon of a partner that was having an amazing time teasing her.

“Come on, Blake. It’s fine to be jealous! I know it’s hard when everyone wants a piece of this.” Yang gestured to her whole body, and Blake was not ashamed to say that her eyes followed that hand all up and down said body, lingering and admiring many amazing assets on her partner.

Blake raised her eyes again, smirk forming on her lips. If Yang wanted to play this game, then she’d play too.

“Very good point. I honestly can’t blame Neon for trying.” Blake said, and Yang looked taken aback, cheeks turning red either from the drinks she just took, or because of Blake’s comment. Blake hoped it was the latter.

Blake watched with amusement as Yang tried to recover, smirk never leaving her lips. Yang faltered, but eventually let out a breath and cleared her throat, sending her a shy smile.

“I’m glad you were here, then. Maybe you can’t blame her for trying, but I certainly can. This seat is for one person and one person only.”

“Oh? Who’s that?” Blake snickered, and Yang grinned widely.

“Zwei, of course.” Yang replied.

Blake snorted into her hand, shaking her head. “Zwei isn’t even a person.”

Yang gasped loudly, eyes wide and hands cupping her own cheeks in false dismay. “How _dare_ you.”

Blake sighed and rolled her eyes playfully, giggling at Yang’s antics. After another moment of silence, Yang grinned and shuffled her stool a bit closer, her right hand wrapping around Blake’s forearm, thumb caressing the barest hint of skin protruding from the undone zipper on her sleeve. Blake swallowed thickly, flicking her eyes all over Yang’s face.

“In all seriousness,” Yang said, and Blake bit her lip at her soft, comforting tone, insides melting at the shining smile on her face. “It’s okay, Blake. Something... Is happening here, and I like it. I like you, so... Don’t worry about Neon, or anyone else. We’re partners, yeah?” Yang said gently, squeezing her fingers around Blake’s wrist in a soft manner.

Blake breathed out a laugh, heart accelerating at what Yang just said, blush deepening on her face. Ultimately, she found herself just nodding, and Yang grinned at her again.

“Great. Now let’s get this green-eyed little lady onto the dance floor.” Yang cheered, pulling Blake off the stool and dragging her towards the crowd. Blake allowed it, of course.

“I really wasn’t jealous. I swear.”

“Yeah, yeah. And I’m not the best dancer in the world. I guess we’re both liars!” Yang said, laughing when Blake glared at her playfully. 

The glare was washed away soon after once they both began dancing together. Neon was nowhere in sight, and Yang’s eyes were trained solely on her, bodies moving as one under the strobe lights of the club.

Just like it should be. 


	19. Separate Ways (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "don't you ever do that again"
> 
> premise: at the end of volume 3, i've basically extended the length of time blake stays with the group. she doesn't leave right away, instead she is transported to patch along with ruby and yang.

Blake stayed to the side as Yang was carried by Qrow and Taiyang inside her home on Patch. Her amber eyes glowed in the dark, and she tried desperately to muffle the sobs building in her chest at the sight of her partner.

Her partner, Yang, who threw herself head first into a fight she couldn’t win just for her. All for her. She caused this.

Blake let a soft whimper slip from her lips, before she sank to the cold, damp grass and held a hand over her mouth, pushing the rest of the sobs back inside of her, swallowing them down. She stayed seated, taking several deep breaths to come her heart, and also to gather more air into her wheezing, constricted lungs. 

Adam was there. She hadn’t seen him since… Well, since she left him all that time ago, on the train. It was the best thing for her, and she never regretted being able to meet Ruby and Weiss and… Yang.

Especially Yang. Yang was light. She was beautiful, and radiant and everything Blake just… Wasn’t. They clicked immediately, they understood each other. Blake even thought they could…

Well, it doesn’t matter now.

Now that Yang has no fucking arm. Now that Adam was back, up to his old tricks to get to her, back to ruin every good thing in her life. She never wanted this to happen, she never wanted Yang to get hurt. 

But, really, she should have expected Adam to come back to her. To find her again. She shouldn’t have let her guard down for a single second. Because now Yang paid the price for her mistakes, and there’s nothing she could do about it.

Well, there was one thing.

“Blake?”

Blake jumped, thoughts interrupted by Taiyang, the man standing over her with the porch light casting shadows on his face.. Blake steeled herself and looked up at him, Tai reaching his hand out, soft smile on his face.

“You should get inside, okay? It’s getting cold out, so…”

Blake glanced at Taiyang’s hand, heart aching at the exhaustion in his voice. She nodded solemnly and took his hand, Tai heaving her up in a single motion. Tai laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, looking at her with the most inviting, comforting eyes.

“They’ll both be okay. They just need time to rest. But so do you. So, come inside and sit your butt down on a mattress instead of soaking on the grass.” Tai said. Blake cracked her stony expression for a fraction of a second to giggle at his joke, the man smiling warmly before gesturing inside the house. Blake sighed and walked past him into the house, hand pressed against her left side over her bandages. It stung every step she took, every breath she took, but she had to pull through. Adam already took everything else- she wouldn’t let him take anything more from her.

She hissed through her teeth, clenching her jaw in pain all the way up the stairs. She applied pressure to her bandaged wound, shaking her head at the white hot pain that sizzled and shot around her body. Once she made it to the guest room, she flopped onto the bed, ignoring the pain it caused. She stared up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath.

Her thoughts turned to Weiss. Her father came for her shortly after the destruction of Beacon, almost absurdly quick in his airship from Atlas. He barely gave any of them time to hug or say bye to her, and Ruby and Yang didn’t even have the _chance_ to. Now, Weiss was back in Atlas, all alone.

Blake’s lip quivered, and she curled into herself, fighting back the tears once again. It was all her fault. If she had never left Menagerie- had never left Adam, then maybe…

Blake swallowed down the lump in her throat, breaths shaky and uneven. Gods, she wished Yang could give her one of her signature bear hugs.

She blinked and found herself walking down the hallway towards Yang’s bedroom. She paused at Ruby’s briefly, opening the door a crack to look at the exhausted girl on the bed. She’d been out for hours, a shining bright light being the last thing everyone saw before Ruby was being carried towards the airship to Patch. Blake frowned and observed Ruby’s figure for a moment, before she sighed and closed the door.

She crept down the hall to Yang’s bedroom, pausing just outside of it. She sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds, before slowly letting it out while she opened up the door. Her heart fell into her stomach at seeing Yang, curled into a ball and eyebrows crinkled, clearly having an unsettling dream. Blake slipped inside her room and closed the door behind her, shuffling towards Yang’s bed. 

Blake stood over Yang, eyes flicking all over her face and body. Her eyes caught the bandaged arm, and quickly pulled them away. She muffled a whimper into her arm, breathing shakily as she roamed her eyes over her partner’s restless form.

Once she calmed herself a little more, she pulled her arm away from her mouth. Blake pursed her lips and glanced out the window briefly, before she pulled back Yang’s blankets and slipped into the bed beside her, their bodies pressing together in a mix of warmth and softness.

Blake laid her head on the pillow next to Yang’s, their noses almost touching with the close proximity. She gulped when Yang moved in her sleep, only for her to press closer to her and brush their legs against each other underneath the blankets. Blake shuddered for more reasons than just deflecting her tears this time, and pressed her forehead against Yang’s.

“Yang.” She whispered, testing the waters. Yang didn’t stir at all, remaining fast asleep- good.

Blake’s elbow touched the bandaged part of her when she moved it, and with that simple graze of the rough material, the dams broke. Her tears poured out, sobs wracking her body as she clung to Yang, now, eyes squeezed shut and cat ears pressed down on her head.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She chanted over and over in anguish, voice barely above a whisper now, because she couldn’t have Yang wake up. Not now.

“I didn’t want this to happen. You shouldn’t be- this never should have happened to _you_. Not _you_.” Blake pressed her face into Yang’s chest, thoughts and feelings whirring inside of her like a tornado. Her tears fell onto Yang’s t shirt, soaking through to her skin. “Gods, why did you even _do_ that? Why did you just- throw yourself at him?”

She expected no answers to come, and when Yang stirred a bit more, she froze and gripped Yang’s shirt, staying completely still. She sniffled and waited a beat, heart racing a mile-long track in her chest. Once Yang settled herself again, still fast asleep, Blake breathed in and out slowly and deeply. She sniffled again, letting go of her shirt.

“Don’t you ever do that again.” The words tumbled out, more so only for her own ears, knowing full well Yang couldn’t hear her. “You can’t do that again, Yang.”

Blake basked in the warmth of Yang’s body for several more minutes, indulging herself in feeling safe and comforted for just a bit longer. Eventually, the clock struck two in the morning, and she decided it was time.

She sat up in the bed, wiping her remaining tears and steadying herself. She stepped out of the bed, turning and looking down at Yang again. Her forehead was crinkled, and there was a deep frown on her lips. Blake wished whatever was happening in her partner’s dreams, it would go away.

Blake took a breath and promptly searched around the room for a moment, finding a scrap piece of paper and a pen lying around. She wrote out a simple message, leaving it on the nightstand next to Yang’s bed. Without anymore delay, Blake quietly opened the window near Yang’s bed, swinging her leg over the edge and sitting there for a minute. She gazed back at Yang’s figure in the darkness, the moonlight shining through and bathing her in light. Blake’s throat closed up, and before she could second guess herself, she swung her other leg over the window sill and dropped down onto the ground below.

When Yang would awake just hours later from the sun streaming through her window, she would find a note with two simple words: “I’m sorry.”

It broke both of their hearts. But as Blake sailed on a boat back to her childhood home, she knew it had to be done. Yang wouldn’t get hurt again- she wouldn’t need to do that ever again for her.

Yang was safe now.

That’s all that mattered. 


	20. Comfort (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "I can't do anything right"
> 
> premise: a manufactured scenario i created where possibly in volume 8, raven and yang have a brief reunion and blake is there to comfort yang afterwards

Salem was here. She was in the flesh, right here in Mantle and there was nothing any of them could do about it. The Ace-Ops had turned on them, Ironwood too, Oscar was nowhere to be found, and Qrow was arrested by Atlas military not long ago. Everything was flipped on its head and no one had any idea what to do.

They were currently holed up in Pietro’s shop down in Mantle, taking a much needed breather from everything that had transpired. Ren, Nora, and Jaune met up with them soon after Ruby’s announcement to them about Ironwood. They didn’t have much time to stay around here, but at least it was something.

“Guys.”

Yang looked up from her spot on the wooden floor, Blake sitting beside her. Ruby stood in the middle of the room, looking around at everyone. Yang could see that Ruby was trying to be strong, trying to put on a brave face for everyone considering the circumstances. 

“Things... Are really not good right now. I know that. And I’m sorry for all of this.” Ruby played with her fingers and avoided eye contact with everyone, silver eyes coated with a sheen layer of tears. “But we can’t give up, okay? People are counting on us. If we just... Put our heads together, we could come up with a plan, right?” Ruby wiped her eyes and looked around at everyone. Weiss was leaning against the wall near the door, while Ren, Nora, Jaune, Penny, Maria and Pietro were against the opposite wall, cluttered around each other in solemn silence.

No one uttered a single word. No one had any ideas at all- no plan. There was no relic, no Oscar, no Ozpin. Qrow wasn’t even here with them. It all seemed lost.

Weiss finally shifted in her spot and walked over to Ruby, reaching out to grip her hand.

“Of course. Ruby.” Weiss said softly. Yang watched as she squeezed Ruby’s hand comfortingly, “We can all think of something. It’s going to be okay.”

Yang wasn’t entirely sure how true that statement could be, but she appreciated Weiss being there for Ruby. It seemed to help somewhat, because Ruby sniffled and nodded, allowing Weiss to pull her aside and sit down on the floor with her.

The newfound silence was deafening to Yang. She glanced to her left at Blake, who was deep in thought, staring down at the floor. Yang nudged her with her shoulder, breaking her out of her fascination with said floor. Blake flicked her eyes up to meet hers, looking at her quizzically.

“Doing okay?” Yang whispered. Blake leaned in closer to her, their sides pressed together. Blake shrugged in response, sending her a tiny smile.

“Is anyone really okay right now?” Blake replied, and Yang just hummed. She had a point.

“Fair.” Yang said. “But... Just, let me know if you need anything, okay? We’re in this together.”

Blake softened even more, nodding her head and reaching her hand out to lay over top Yang’s. Yang’s breath hitched, a flush creeping up her neck from that simple action alone. Blake sighed and squeezed her hand once before pulling her hand away. 

“Same goes for you.” Blake said. Yang cracked a smile back at her, and there was a moment of silence, their eyes locked on each other. After another beat of silence, Yang took a breath and blinked, picking herself up off the floor. Everyone looked at her, both concern and confusion amongst their faces. She pointed to the door, looking sheepish.

“I just... Wanted some fresh air. I won’t go far, I promise. Just to the alley.” Yang said. Ruby looked ready to protest, but everyone else sent her nods and gentle smiles. She knew they trusted her to come back in one piece.

“I won’t be long.” Yang promised, and with that, she opened the door and slipped outside, the crisp night air hitting her face and sending tingles down her spine. Mantle was still locked down, the power having been shut down by Watts. The cold around the city seeped into her bones and caused her to shiver. She crossed her arms and sighed, her breath escaping in a cloud.

Yang looked around, the desolate streets and broken windows and buildings greeting her. She shivered once more and made haste towards the alleyway beside the old shop. Once she settled against the wall in the alley, hands buried underneath her bomber jacket, she took another breath. Things were getting out of control, and it was hard to keep hope alive in their situation. Salem was _there_ , in the flesh and taking over Mantle while they sat inside in stone-cold silence. 

Yang sighed with frustration, shaking her head and pulling her hands out of her jacket, rubbing them together to warm them up more.

There was a clang to her right, making her jump and shoot off the wall, arming herself with Ember Celica. Some garbage cans rattled at the end of the alley, and Yang furrowed her eyebrows.

“Who’s there?” Yang called out. The rattling stopped, as if the person was attempting to go back into the shadows and not be caught. A little too late for that, Yang thought.

“I know you’re there. Just come out.” Yang said, huffing in annoyance. She narrowed her eyes into the darkness, keeping Ember Celica locked and loaded as the cans rattled once more. A beat of silence, then a shadowy figure raised themselves up from behind the cans. Yang frowned, about to call out again for them to show themselves, only for the person to step out on their own volition.

The air rushed out of Yang’s lungs, a loud gasp escaping her. She struggled to breathe, hands shaking in front of her. Yang blinked several times, not believing what she was seeing.

“Yang.”

Raven uttered her name with indifference, not fondness or softness like Summer used to. It broke Yang out of her trance, and she raised Ember Celica properly again, stretched out towards the woman. Yang clenched her jaw in anger, a swirl of resentment, and annoyingly, hope, filled her chest.

“Raven.” Yang replied with gritted teeth. Raven scoffed at her, before she sighed and laid a hand on her sword, tapping the end of it with her index finger.

“I see Mantle is in quite the state.” Raven mused, her eyes roaming around the alley, a distant scream echoing through the streets.

“Why are you here?” Yang demanded. Raven raised an eyebrow at her, tilting her head and continuing to tap her finger on the hilt of her sword. She shrugged and glanced away.

“Thought I’d check on you.” Raven said in a low voice. Yang resisted the urge to scoff, maintaining composure as best she could. 

“I find that hard to believe.” Yang responded. Raven blinked her eyes back to her, an unreadable expression on her face in that moment. The woman pursed her lips, before removing her hand from her sword, crossing her arms instead.

“You don’t have to believe it. But it’s the truth.” Raven said. “Clearly allowing you to have the relic was a waste of time. Mantle has still fallen.”

“Not yet.” Yang growled, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

Raven let out a hum, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Still as headstrong and stubborn as ever. You know who you get that from?”

Yang could feel the fire pooling in the pit of her stomach, her semblance urging her to fight so it could burst out of her. The simmering heat was getting to her, but she remained relatively calm, shaking the thoughts out of her head.

“I think you need to leave.” Yang stated. Raven bit her lip, then sighed and turned away from her, but looked back over her shoulder at her daughter.

“Glad to see you’re well, Yang. I hope you kids don’t cause Mantle any more suffering.”

And with that, Raven morphed and flew off into the night, leaving Yang seething in the dark abyss of the alleyway.

She stayed upright for a couple more seconds, before she lowered her weapons and curled her arms around herself, gasping for breath as she pressed herself against the wall. She slid down onto the ground, anger being replaced with a mix of disbelief and despair. Yang sat there alone, before a sound from around the corner caught her attention. She whipped her head up to see Blake standing there, concern washing over her face at the state of her.

“Yang, are you okay?” Blake asked, rushing to her side and kneeling down next to her. Yang gulped and shook her head, allowing Blake to grab her shaky hands, rubbing her thumbs over her knuckles. “What happened?”

Yang shook her head again, still in shock over what just occurred. Blake frowned and sat down properly on the ground, continuing to hold Yang’s hands. Yang licked her lips, attempting to formulate a sentence about three times before she finally said something.

“Raven was just here.”

“What?!” Blake hissed, her ears pulling back and her eyes flicking around the alley. Yang squeezed her hands, gathering her attention again.

“She’s gone now.” Yang continued, raising her head to meet Blake’s eyes. Blake’s frown deepened at her partner’s state.

“Why was she here?” Blake said, putting a cap on her anger for the moment. Yang needed comfort, not more frustration and anger. So, Blake softened a bit more, taking Yang into her arms to hold her close, Yang laying her head on her shoulder.

“She claimed she wanted to check up on me.” Yang scoffed. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Neither do I.” Blake agreed, tickling her fingers up and down Yang’s arm. Yang sighed deeply, Blake’s touch and mannerisms providing so much warmth. She felt her body start to relax exponentially, and she found herself snuggling closer to her partner. 

“She spoke about Mantle.” Yang said. “Said we were making them suffer, and said that it was-” Yang stopped herself. No one knew that Raven fought Cinder back at Haven. No one knew she allowed Yang to take the relic, and that her mother was the true Spring Maiden. She felt a sense of guilt at that, but swiftly pushed it away. “She just... Said it was a mistake to let me leave her camp. I should have stayed with her, stayed out of the war.”

“Yang, that’s ridiculous. Don’t believe a word she says.” Blake replied, beginning to caress Yang’s golden mane. Yang pursed her lips, clamping down the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

“What if she’s right?”

“What?”

“What if I should have stayed behind? What if... Gods, what if her letting me go really was a mistake, Blake? Look at Mantle right now! Look at Salem floating in the damn sky. Everyone was counting on us to protect them. We failed them.” Yang said, sharp tone catching Blake off guard. “I failed them. I can’t do anything right.” 

“ _Yang_.” Blake cut her off, lifting Yang’s head with her finger so their eyes met, Blake’s amber orbs shimmering with adoration and comfort. “Never say that. You haven’t failed anyone. Ironwood betrayed us, Yang. He and the Ace-Ops abandoned us, and we had to go into hiding to think of a plan. None of this is your fault, okay?” Blake cupped Yang’s cheek, voice floating to Yang’s ears with softness. “You aren’t a perfect machine. You’ve made mistakes, but.. Gods, so has everyone in that room. Trust me, you do so many things right.”

Yang fell silent, Blake’s sincere words replaying in her head. Tonight was not anything she expected, and seeing Raven again overwhelmed her to the point she didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. 

But Blake was here, holding her, making sure she was okay. And that was enough.

“I’m sorry.” Yang whispered, lifting her head off Blake’s shoulder to look her in the eyes. “Everything just happened so fast, and... Just, thank you for being here.” She said.

“I’m always here for you.” Blake said gently, smiling softly at her. Yang lifted the corner of her lip in a small smile. “I’m sorry you dealt with that alone. Maybe we should head back in. I think Weiss had to start sitting on Ruby’s lap to get her to stay in there. She was getting worried.”

Yang breathed out a laugh and nodded, the two of them standing up and brushing off any dirt and grime.

“I’m sure Weiss would have ended up there anyway, regardless of me being out here.” Yang grinned, Blake giggling into her hand and nodding in agreement. The two walked side by side back to the entrance to the old shop, Yang pausing when Blake cracked open the door.

“Just give me one more second, okay?” Yang said. Blake turned to face her, eyes searching her face. What she found must have been enough for her to understand where Yang was coming from, because she just nodded and smiled, before disappearing inside the shop, shutting the door in Yang’s face.

Yang took another moment to breathe. Her mind hadn’t fully comprehended the events that took place, but she was on her way. Raven showing up was not something she expected, or needed.

But Blake was there. She was there, and whether or not what Raven said was true or a bunch of manipulation towards Yang yet again, as usual, it didn’t matter. Mantle needed them, the people were relying on them.

So, as she opened the door finally to walk inside and end Ruby’s worries, she steeled her face and stood tall. She would prove Raven wrong, just like she always did.

And it’s going to be so satisfying to do so. 


	21. A Quiet Moment (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Holding everything in doesn't help, you know."
> 
> premise: end of volume 7 when everyone meets up again on the airship, after penny becomes the maiden, ironwood and oscar and all that stuff basically.

The airship was quiet. 

It was so quiet, Weiss had taken to hearing things that weren’t even there anymore. A tap on the floor, scratching from a non-existent bug crawling on the wall, she even thought she could hear Winter’s voice- calling out to her from Atlas Academy.

Weiss sucked in a breath and shook her head violently, pushing the thoughts and images of her beaten and bruised sister aside. She had to remain in the present.

Everyone had split off into their own little groups around the airship. Blake and Yang, as usual, off in the corner and whispering to each other. Pietro and Maria were at the front of the ship. Jaune, Ren and Nora sat huddled against a crate along the wall, arms linked and heads lolled onto each other to catch some shut-eye. 

That left her, Ruby and Penny. They were all sitting on the one bench in the airship, squished together and arms linked as well. But after about thirty minutes, Penny had stood up to stand next to Pietro, father and daughter remaining silent but enjoying each other’s company. 

Ruby had stayed quiet for the majority of the ride, clearly lost in thought like Weiss was. Everything that happened took a toll on everyone, and it was hard to keep hope alive. But, they had each other, and they were strong.

Weiss let out a sigh, the sound alerting Ruby. The girl flinched, and Weiss looked up to catch her eyes, which cycled through a series of emotions when they landed on Weiss. They stared at each other for a moment, a silent conversation, before Weiss scooted closer, pressing their thighs together gently.

“Hey.” Weiss said lowly, tuning out everyone else and focusing on her partner. “Are you doing okay?”

Ruby blinked, slow and methodical, in her direction. She seemed to take her time to formulate an answer, but all she could come up with was a simple “Yeah”. Weiss frowned and kept their eye contact steady, Ruby’s eyes betraying her more than she realised. 

“Holding everything in doesn’t help, you know.” Weiss murmured, letting out a light scoff as she turned her eyes to look at the wall opposite them. “Trust me.”

There was a beat of silence, before Ruby let out a long sigh, and Weiss felt pressure on her knee. She flicked her eyes down to see Ruby’s hand there, thumb beginning to caress the area. They locked eyes again, and Ruby seemed to crack a little, a pained smile coming to her lips.

“Sorry.” Ruby said, before letting out a long sigh. “I’m just worried. About Uncle Qrow, Oscar, Mantle... Just everything.” Ruby shook her head, sniffling a little. Weiss nodded along, grateful that Ruby was finally opening up slightly. “Everything just... Went so bad. How did it get so bad, Weiss?”

Her voice cracked when she said her name, and it was a sound that Weiss could have gone her whole life not hearing. It broke her heart, and she immediately pressed closer to Ruby, laying her hand over-top hers on her knee and squeezing gently. Ruby sniffled again, tears trickling down her pale cheeks. Weiss used her other hand to wipe the tears away, stomach feeling sick at Ruby’s cries. Sometimes, she really wasn’t great at comforting people, because she never had that comfort growing up. But, over time, she had learned.

“Ruby.” Weiss said. “We’re all here. And Qrow and Oscar will find us again. We can come up with some sort of plan, as soon as we’re far enough away from here that Ironwood won’t find us. Mantle will be okay. We just... Have to keep fighting, and make our own path right now.”

Ruby was hooked onto every word she said, nodding and wiping her own tears now, looking so small and vulnerable in that moment. It pained Weiss to see this, the usual upbeat and chipper leader of the group fall to pieces. She had seen it before, when Salem spoke about Summer Rose. Ruby didn’t talk about her mother very often, but she knew it weighed heavily on the young girl’s mind. Weiss froze up back then, shaken by everything that was happening, but she wouldn’t do it now. 

Ruby calmed down, and her tears began to subside. The girl sighed deeply and looked at Weiss then, flicking her eyes between her icy blues. Before Weiss could say anything, Ruby laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry about Winter.” Ruby said. Weiss’ heart pricked with pain, and she swallowed to clear her blocked throat at hearing Winter’s name again. She laid her hand over Ruby’s on her shoulder, squeezing gently. 

“She’ll be okay.” Weiss replied. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince herself, or Ruby. Weiss pursed her lips then, mind flitting back to what happened at Atlas, how Salem was back, and what she said about Ruby’s mother.

“I’m sorry, too.” Weiss said softly. “I’m sorry about... About what Salem said to you. I’m sorry that I didn’t- That I just froze. I should have been there for you, but instead I-”

“Weiss.” Ruby said, desperation lacing into her tone. “You were there. You’ve always been there, even when you’re not there.”

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows, then raised her scarred one. “What?”

Ruby’s cheeks flushed, and she scratched the back of her head, awkward smile starting to show.

“Sorry, that made more sense in my head.”

“How would that have made any sense in any context?”

“I don’t know.”

Weiss found her lips quirking up, as they always did when she spoke with her partner. Ruby was smiling more now, aimed directly at her and it was beautiful. Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes fondly, squeezing Ruby’s hand again.

“I think I get it.” Weiss stated, and Ruby hummed questioningly. “Even if I’m not physically there, I’ll always be here.” Weiss pointed towards Ruby’s heart, and Ruby glanced down at it, before returning her gaze to Weiss with a glint in her eye and a cheesy grin on her face.

“Aw, Weiss. When did you get so soft?” Ruby giggled when Weiss groaned at her. Ruby threw her arms around her, warmth spreading throughout both of their bodies.

“I can’t stand you sometimes.” Weiss grumbled, but the soft smile on her face contrasted her words. Ruby remained wrapped around her, so Weiss sighed and shifted herself to wrap her arms around her in a warm embrace. They held each other, Weiss resting her chin on Ruby’s shoulder. There was a minute of silence, before Ruby spoke up again. 

“Thanks for being the best partner, Weiss.” Ruby whispered. Weiss’ heart clenched, the amount of love and trust Ruby showed her piling up inside. 

She wasn’t sure she was. But if Ruby thought so, it was enough for her.

“We’ll get through this, Ruby.” Weiss replied, pulling back from her partner to look her in the eyes. Ruby nodded, but the air of uncertainty returned to them both as they separated completely, going back to their original positions on the bench.

“Can we talk like this more often?” Ruby said in the quietest, mouse-like voice. “If we, you know, find the time?”

Weiss glanced to her, then breathed out slowly with a warm smile on her face. “Of course.”

Ruby was satisfied with that, ending the conversation with a simple nod before she looked away from her, going back to her deep thoughts.

The chaos of this journey gave them little time to do things like this. But, like Ruby, Weiss hoped they would find the time. But even if they didn’t say it, they’re always there for each other, even if things got out of control. 

That will never change. 


	22. Come Back Home (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Just get home as soon as possible, okay?"
> 
> premise: future bees that are married and successful huntsmen, but blake is angsty and clingy when yang has to leave

Blake awoke to the sounds of shuffling around the bedroom, and a cold, empty space next to her. She shifted and reached out to that space, feeling around with a sleepy frown on her face.

She heard a laugh from across the room, then felt weight sink down on the other side of the bed. Blake had her eyes closed, but the weight was very warm and comfortable, so she attempted to snuggle closer to it.

“Sweetheart.” A voice said beside her, the smile evident on the person’s face. Blake’s ears flicked and she ignored the voice, pressing her face into the person’s chest and curling her legs around them. “Baby, I have to go.”

“No.” Blake finally said, voice rough with sleep. 

Yang sighed and pressed a kiss in between her cat ears, then one to her forehead. “I do.”

Blake groaned and pulled her head away, cracking her sleepy eyes open finally. Yang laid there, travelling clothes on and her bag sitting in the corner of the room. The clock read 7 am, and Blake blinked a few times so her vision wasn’t so blurry.

“You just got back two days ago, Yang.” Blake said, and Yang smiled sadly, her hand running up and down Blake’s bare back underneath her t shirt. Blake purred and shivered from the action.

“I know.” Yang replied softly, before leaving another kiss on Blake’s forehead. “I know, and I’m sorry. But Jaune and Ruby said it was important. They need me back out there again.”

Blake sighed, and allowed Yang to slip away from her. Yang stood off the bed and made her way to her bag. Blake sat herself up and stared at Yang’s back while she looked around inside the bag. 

“When do you think you’ll be back?” Blake asked, and Yang hummed thoughtfully, eventually zipping up the bag and turning around to face her, shrugging.

“Ruby didn’t say. Could be a few days, or...” Yang trailed off, and Blake’s heart cracked at the uncertainty on her face. She stood up off the bed, curling her arms around herself.

“Weeks? Months?” Blake said softly, and at Yang’s silence, she let out a shuddering breath.

This was always the worst part. Anytime either of them got an assignment that went longer than a week, it would be like this the morning of. Of course they trusted each other to be safe, and trusted each other to keep others safe and to be okay. But, despite that and also being married for two years now, it never got easier to see the love of your life go off and not come back for god knows how long.

Blake always felt it the worst. Ever since they began dating after Mantle fell all those years ago, then got married, she had become accustomed to Yang just.. Always being there. Of course, she would never guilt Yang into staying, but she couldn’t help but be reminded when they were separated all those years ago, when she made that stupid decision to leave Yang behind. 

She just wanted her partner there with her. But she knew that couldn’t happen.

Yang ran a hand through her hair, before shuffling over to Blake’s small frame and placing her hands on her waist. Blake looked into her eyes, warmth seeping from those lilac orbs.

“I’ll be okay, I promise.” Yang said. “It’s probably not even that big of a thing. Ruby always exaggerates.” Yang smiled at her, and it was so contagious that Blake found herself starting to smile too. Yang leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, air rushing from Blake’s lungs from that simple action alone.

Yang pulled away, but pressed their foreheads together. Blake blinked back the tears, reaching her hands up to cup Yang’s cheeks, cat ears flattening on her head.

“Just get home as soon as possible, okay?” Blake whispered, and Yang nodded. They stayed that way for a few more minutes, before Yang pulled herself away. Blake felt the tears threatening to spill over, but she held them back as Yang pressed another quick kiss to her lips. Yang untangled herself from her and walked over to her bag, picking it up and swinging it over her shoulder.

She walked to the door to their bedroom, which was already open from Yang getting herself ready before. She turned around and looked at Blake again, their eyes locked with loving smiles on their faces.

“Don’t stay in bed all day, okay? My plants need nourishment.” Yang teased, and Blake snorted, giggling into her hand.

“They’ll be alive this time when you get back, I promise.” Blake replied, sniffling. Yang laughed and nodded, and with a final cheesy salute towards Blake, she walked out of the room.

Blake heard the front door open and close, and when the silence filled up their home rather than Yang’s boisterous laughter and everlasting warmth, she sighed shakily and curled herself up in a ball on the bed. She enveloped herself in Yang’s scent, keeping it close for as long as possible.

She knew Yang would be okay. Deep down, she knew.

But she couldn’t help but cry into the pillow they shared, praying her love would come back soon. 


	23. If You Fall, I Will Catch You (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "Nobody's seen you in days"
> 
> premise: takes place somewhere in the future after the series, a year after Salem has been defeated and WR are in an established relationship (same with bees)

It started happening a month after Salem was defeated.

The first night Ruby left, Weiss had called everybody she knew and sent out a search party for days. She called her connections in Atlas, even, and others in Vacuo and Haven and all over. Weiss was scared out of her mind, only for Ruby to come back three days later with the same chipper attitude as if _nothing_ had happened.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?! I’ve been worried sick!” Weiss had screeched at her, still up at three in the morning when Ruby had shuffled into the house. Ruby just sat there and took it, barely blinking or reacting to her. “Ruby, are you even listening to me? _Do you understand?_ Nobody’s seen you in _days_.” Weiss’s eyes had filled with tears, threatening to spill over onto her pale cheeks. She felt her breaths become uneven.

“Weiss...”

“What?! _What_ do you have to say for yourself?” Weiss screamed. She yelled and sobbed and tried to push Ruby away when she hugged her tight, breathing uncontrollable. She didn’t understand why Ruby didn’t get it- that she would lay in bed every night, restless and thinking of the worst possible scenarios. Blake and Yang wouldn’t sleep either- _no one_ would sleep.

“I’m sorry.” Was all Ruby had said back then, and Weiss made her sleep on the couch for a week straight. After that, things went back to how they were, and they were just as in love as ever.

Until Ruby did it again. And again.

Every two weeks, Ruby would go out for three days exactly, then return home and not speak of it at all. Weiss had built up her resolve after this long, and had come to expect it. She wouldn’t question her partner, she would just let her slip into bed with her and fall asleep next to her.

Weiss knew in the back of her mind that it wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t good for either of them to let this continue, gods, she _knew that_. But this was Ruby- beautiful, fearless, resilient Ruby. The woman she loved with all of her heart and soul. She had to trust her, she would tell herself. She had to.

Everything changed when Blake and Yang were expecting a child, a year after the final battle. It was a shock to everyone, but of course they were showered with support and love. She and Ruby hugged both of them, congratulating them. Ruby had started to even list of a bunch of weird names for them to name the child.

Weiss had stayed in the background, mind flitting through images of Blake and Yang, happily married and expecting a child now, always happy together and supporting each other through everything. Of course, she and Ruby had all of that. The love, the trust, the support. Ruby was the love of her life.

But, as she continued to watch Blake’s stomach grow more and more, she realised she was tired. And things needed to change.

“Ruby.”

Weiss stood in the doorway to their shared bathroom, watching Ruby brush her teeth. Despite being in her 20′s now, Ruby still bounced on her toes and hummed “happy birthday” every time she brushed them. Weiss didn’t have the heart to ask her to act her age. She fell in love with all parts of her. Unfortunately.

Ruby glanced to her before leaning over the sink and spitting out her toothpaste, rinsing and wiping her mouth with the towel next to the bathtub. Ruby sent her a beaming smile, eyes twinkling with happiness at the sight of her.

“Yes, my love?” Ruby said, and Weiss sighed fondly when Ruby took one long stride to stand in front of her, her arms delicately wrapping around her waist. Their eyes met, Ruby waiting patiently for her to say whatever it was she was going to say. The action caught her off guard, and sent her heart into a frenzy, but she remained focused. 

“I need to talk to you.” Weiss said, and Ruby tilted her head like a puppy, frowning a little.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Ruby replied. Weiss sighed again and slipped out of her arms, turning and walking back into their bedroom. She crossed her arms and sat down on the edge of the bed, composing what she wanted to finally bring to light. 

“Weiss? Are you okay?” Ruby said, sitting down beside her on the bed and taking her hand. “What’s wrong?”

Weiss raised her eyes to look into Ruby’s concerned silver, her heart constricting. She took a shuddering breath, already feeling the tears building inside of her.

“We need to talk about our future.” Weiss said softly. Ruby stared at her, silver orbs flicking back and forth, the gears working in her brain to try to understand what Weiss was saying. Ruby swallowed, still looking confused.

“W-What do you mean?” Ruby replied shakily, and Weiss’ heart cracked at how small she sounded. A single tear fell from her eye, travelling down her cheek. Ruby’s finger caught it, and she looked even more concerned now. “Weiss, please. You’re scaring me.”

“ _I’m_ scaring you?” Weiss said in disbelief, breathing out a mock laugh before she pulled away from Ruby, standing up and swiftly spinning around, looking down at her. “Ruby, _you_ scare me.”

“Weiss?” Ruby said, her own tears in her eyes. Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.

“Do you know how terrified I get every time you leave me here? _Alone_?” Weiss’ voice cracked at the end, her eyes flying open to take in Ruby’s reaction. It was hard, seeing as her vision was blurry due to tears, but she had to see. “Ruby, I was alone my _whole_ life before I met you, Blake and Yang. You guys became my _family_ , don’t you get that? And when we- when we started-”

Weiss cut herself off, her lungs needing a second to gather more air before she continued. She took several calming breaths, wiping her eyes first before levelling Ruby with a hard look. She hated having to do this, gods, did she hate it. Ruby looked _so_ broken- sitting there with her hands in her lap, tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I was the happiest I’d ever been.” Weiss said. “But, now-”

“Now you aren’t happy?” Ruby said brokenly, voice barely above a whisper. Weiss blinked back more tears, looking up at the ceiling briefly before looking back to Ruby.

“You make me _so_ happy.” She shook her head slowly, glancing away and biting her bottom lip. “You make me so happy when you’re here, that when you run off for days without me knowing where you go, or how long you’ll be gone that time, or the next time, I just sob in this bed, Ruby. My heart aches every moment you’re not there with me.”

Ruby sat there, taking it all in. Weiss’ stomach flip-flopped, body shuddering as she attempted to hold back the sobs that willed to come out. She just wanted to talk- she didn’t expect to do all of _this._

Weiss sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve, eyes cast downwards as she calmed down a bit more, a numb feeling washing over her.

“I just can’t do that anymore, Ruby.” Weiss whispered, curling her arms around herself. She heard a shuffle at the bed, but she continued to stare downwards. “I can’t keep living with uncertainty about this when I want so much more for us. I want...” Weiss stopped herself, sighing deeply and wiping her nose again. She glanced up briefly to see Ruby sitting on the bed still, back pressed against the headboard and eyes staring off into space, towards the opposite wall. Weiss took a deep breath.

“I want to marry you, Ruby. I want... I want kids with you. I want so many things for us. I love you more than anything.” Weiss said. “But every time you go off to do god knows what, it’s one step closer to us not being able to have that. And it breaks my heart.”

Ruby just sat there. Weiss wiped any remaining tears on her face, then slowly walked to the bed, sinking down at the end of it. There was considerable space between them, and it pained her to not be right up next to her. But, she needed to get Ruby to understand. 

“I thought you were okay with it.”

Ruby’s voice startled her slightly. It was deep and scratchy, as if she was keeping everything bottled inside now. Ruby flicked her eyes up to meet hers, and Weiss shrugged tiredly.

“I just wanted you to be happy.” Weiss replied. “I trust you completely, and I wanted to show you that I did. But I can’t do it anymore, Ruby.”

Ruby stared at her, still as a statue with stony silver eyes. Weiss stared right back.

Ruby’s shoulders sagged suddenly, and her eyes moved to look at the blanket instead of Weiss. She curled in on herself, and Weiss’ heart lifted up high with hope that maybe this was it.

“I was...” Ruby pursed her lips, then placed her head in her hands. “I was... Going back to where Salem died.”

Weiss was completely taken aback. That was the _last_ thing she expected to hear from her partner’s mouth, but it was out in the open now, unable to be put back inside the box. Weiss breathed out slowly, mind working to understand what was just said.

“I’d use my semblance sparingly to get there and back faster, but sometimes I would deplete myself and take a bit longer.” Ruby’s voice was muffled due to her hands, but Weiss could make it out well enough.

“Ruby...” Weiss breathed. Ruby raised her head and looked at her finally, eyes flitting through so many emotions. Weiss didn’t hesitate any longer- she shuffled onto the bed and went to her side, opening her arms so Ruby could fall into them, head laying on her chest.

She could feel her partner’s shaky breaths, and she heard her gulp.

“I just wanted- I just-” Ruby stuttered, and Weiss held her close as the tears spilled out, dripping onto Weiss’ nightgown and dampening it. Ruby clutched at the fabric, shaking her head. “Everything just got so bad. It was so bad, Weiss. I started... I was having nightmares of Salem again, seeing the moment over and over where I had to-”

Weiss squeezed her in her arms, to tell her she didn’t have to go there, didn’t have to relive that right now. Ruby sniffled and buried her head into Weiss’ chest.

“They wouldn’t stop, no matter what I did. I just- I thought... Going back there, being in that space, breathing it all in again would help somehow, or bring me closure. We lost so many people, Weiss...”

Weiss blinked back her own tears, glancing up to the ceiling once again. Ruby sighed shakily, sniffling and starting to wipe her own tears.

“I’m sorry, Weiss. I’m so, so sorry I put you through that. I’m sorry.” Ruby’s cries seemed to calm down as she spoke, and she raised her head to meet Weiss’ eyes, the silver cracked and faded from all the pain and tears she had shed. “You deserve so much better.”

“Ruby.” Weiss said, cupping her cheeks and keeping her eyes level with hers. “I love you. I always will.. Now, please. If you go through all of this again- the nightmares, wanting to leave- please tell me. Talk to me, okay? We have _all_ the time in the world to talk now.” Weiss begged to her, leaning in to press their foreheads together. “Please trust me.”

“I do.” Ruby said without hesitation, gripping the fabric of Weiss’ nightgown again. “I trust you more than anyone. I was just... Not thinking. But I get it now.” Ruby said, looking into her eyes. “I want what you want, Weiss. To marry you, to have kids with you... I want it all. It scared me so much when it seemed like you wanted to...” Ruby trailed off, but Weiss understood where she was going with it. “I’m so sorry... I’ll be better from now on, I promise you. Things will be better.”

“We can work on it together, okay?” Weiss said gently, caressing her cheek with her thumb. “You aren’t alone, my love. And I know I’m not either. We can get through this.”

Ruby sighed lightly, breath fanning out over Weiss’ lips. She nodded at Weiss’ words, before Weiss pulled her in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. Ruby leaned into her body, warmth seeping through their clothes to each other’s skin. Ruby hummed against her lips, then pulled away briefly to say another “I love you” before diving back in again.

Over time, things _did_ get better. It took more pain, and tears, and heartache. But they got better in the end, and their love survived.

It was time to let go of the past, and head on into the future.


	24. Distance (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: long distance au bees
> 
> premise: same as the prompt basically, but i put this in a modern setting rather than remnant

Blake awoke to a rumbling sound in her left ear. She crinkled her forehead in confusion, mind still foggy and eyes still closed. The sound boomed in her ear all of a sudden, and she shot up in her bed, eyes flying open tiredly. 

Black grumbled and looked down to her left, her phone placed on her pillow, the speaker being the culprit for blasting whatever the sound was right in to her ear. She sighed and rubbed her ear, before laying back down and reaching for her phone. She blinked at the sudden brightness on her eyes, as her curtains were still drawn and preventing the sunlight from streaming in.

She paused and briefly smiled, eyes roaming the screen.

Yang was snoring. 

They must have fallen asleep, as usual, on FaceTime last night. The last thing Blake remembered talking about was how Ruby slammed herself into the door at her new school a week before, apparently because of a little crush she had on one of her friends?

Blake couldn’t blame her for that one.

“Yang.” Blake whispered, soft and gentle. Yang shifted just slightly in her sleep, a snore being cut off briefly, before she settled back again, unmoving. Blake sighed and rolled her eyes, clearing her throat loudly. “Yang!”

“Grapes!”

Yang shot up in her bed, and Blake bit back a laugh at the magnificent bed head she was sporting, golden locks sticking every which way. But, when Yang sat there for a moment to gather her bearings, Blake couldn’t help but giggle at the confused look on her face.

Yang jumped and flicked her eyes over to her phone, her confusion melting away when she saw Blake’s face staring back at her. Yang sighed and rubbed her face, then picked up her phone to level it more with her face. Yang’s smiling face greeted her, and Blake smiled back sleepily, settling under her covers.

“Thanks so much for the wake-up call.” Yang said. Blake hummed and half-shrugged, looking unapologetic

“I tried the nice way.” Blake said innocently, and Yang scoffed playfully, running a hand through her tangled hair and wincing when her fingers got caught for a brief second. “Also, did you just say _grapes_?

“Just once, I assume.” Yang teased, and Blake smirked at the screen, half-shrugging again. “And yes, as a matter of fact, I did. There’ll be no cursing in my Christian household.” Yang said, causing Blake to burst out laughing into her hand, the dopey grin on Yang’s face and her light giggle fuelling the fire. 

Once they both calmed down, Yang sighed, and Blake watched as she stepped off her bed. Yang held her phone with her right hand, aiming it at herself while she opened her curtains, a ray of sunlight filtering through and causing Yang to blink rapidly. Blake watched her silently, heart fluttering at how absolutely adorable Yang was in the morning.

“It’s 8 in the morning here.” Yang stated, her eyes flitting back to her phone. Blake glanced at the clock and bit back a large smile.

“It’s 2 in the afternoon here.”

“Oh my _god_.”

“Listen, listen. _Someone_ got talking about a very interesting and entertaining story about Ruby last night, might I remind you, and I was very invested.” Blake said, giggling when Yang’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink. “And, besides, I have nowhere to be today. Sun has the shop covered today, so... I’m all yours.” Blake said softly.

Yang paused and stared at her through the screen, and Blake could see the shimmer in her lavender irises, and Blake felt the disappointment creeping up inside of her.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I forgot I have a really busy day planned for today.” Yang said, guilt-ridden and eyes full of sadness. Blake frowned at her girlfriend, confusion and heartbreak swirling in her stomach. 

“Busy with what? And why didn’t you mention it last night?” Blake replied, and Yang blinked, panic swirling in her eyes all of a sudden. Blake shifted and sat up on her bed, reaching over to the wall and flipping her little lamp on, too lazy to get out of bed to open the curtains. It bathed her room in a sheen layer of light, and gave Yang a better view of Blake’s disappointed face. 

“I-I... I can’t say, at least not right now. I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll tell you later.” Yang pleaded, the woman moving things around off screen before Blake watched her walk into her bathroom, flicking the light on.

“But I thought we could have a chill day together, you know? Yang, we barely get time together as it is and FaceTime is the only-”

“Yang?”

Yang jumped and whipped her head to her open bathroom door, but she lowered her phone to her thigh when someone entered the bathroom. Blake couldn’t see anything, and Yang’s hand covered the speaker, so audio was muffled, but she was able to hear a few things.

“... Don’t sneak up on me.... What is it?” That was Yang.

“Sorry... Ruby said...”

Blake strained to hear this new voice, who _clearly_ wasn’t Ruby or anyone else she recognised, and her heart clenched when she was able to hear more of the conversation.

“Are you ready...? Oh, I’m so excited to...”

Blake couldn’t catch the rest, and she didn’t hear what Yang said afterwards, but the conversation must have ended, because Blake could finally see Yang’s face again, and actually hear her properly this time.

“Sorry about that.” Yang said, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

“What was that? Who called your name?” Blake asked, and Yang froze, eyes nervously flitting around before they meet hers again.

“It was nothing, don’t worry about it. I know today was going to be for us, and I’m sorry the plans have changed. But I’ll make it up to you, I promise! Later we can have a nice little date, and I’ll even cook for you!” Yang said with a wide grin, and the tension leaked out of her shoulders at that goofy smile, the loving twinkle in her eye.

“You’re not here to cook for me.”

It was meant to be lighthearted back at her, but both of them felt heavy at the weight of those words. The distance killed them- it was difficult on both of them, if the empty tissue boxes next to Blake’s bed were any indication, or the fact that Yang sometimes muted herself while they FaceTimed, to hide the fact that she was crying. It was a lot, and Blake always wished they could meet again. The first time was exactly a year ago, and it was the only time Blake travelled on a plane all by herself, but it was completely worth it to see Yang in the flesh, her loving smile sending shivers down her spine and her strong embrace making her feel safe and content.

But, now she had no clue when they’d meet again.

Blake bit her lip and sighed through her nose, glancing up to her phone’s battery. Because she fell asleep before charging it, it was running really low. And judging by Yang’s face, hers was too.

“I’m sorry, my phone...” Yang trailed off, and Blake nodded her head in agreement. Yang chewed on the inside of her cheek, before letting out a sigh and sending a comforting smile towards her. “Don’t worry, we’ll have time later, I promise. I have to go, now... But, I love you. So much, and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Blake licked her lips and nodded solemnly, heart cracking when Yang raised her finger to end the call.

“I love you too.” Blake replied, and Yang smiled one last time before ending the call, Blake’s screen going dark. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, keeping the tears at bay. She plugged her phone in and laid back down on her bed, staring up at a ceiling.

Fuck long distance.

It was a few hours later when she finally got out of bed, shuffling her way down the hall to her bathroom in her small apartment, herself being the only occupant after she left home. She pursued college for a short time, but figured out it wasn’t entirely for her, and instead started a business with her best friend, Sun. It was a modest book store, with a wide variety of stories and material to choose from, but of course that was all Blake. Sun was a great friend, but she knew he was mostly in it to look smart to local girls.

By the time Blake was showered, had eaten a snack, and sat down on the couch to watch her favourite show, it was already dark out again. It was just past 8 pm for her, and she hadn’t heard from Yang pretty much all day, despite the woman saying she would. She frowned and pulled out her phone, pulling up Yang’s name on FaceTime.

There was no answer, and Blake’s frown deepened and worry seeped into her bones. Yang would always pick up- if it wasn’t the first ring, it would always be the third at the latest. But, on the sixth ring and there was no answer, Blake ended the call and stared at her phone, feeling the tears build in her chest.

Great, now Yang was ignoring her. She was probably too clingy this morning, or maybe Yang was done with her after all she put them through last year- the pain and the trust issues, it was all her fault and she knew that. It was a miracle that Yang understood her troubles and stood by her, still loved her despite her past with Adam. She was so lucky to have her. But, now she was questioning it.

Blake rubbed her eyes and sighed deeply, shaking her head at the doubts creeping in, the insecure thoughts forming in her mind. About Yang deserving someone better, about Yang ignoring her and not needing her anymore, about-

_Knock knock._

Blake shot her head up, confusion written on her features along with concern. Someone knocked on the door, and she had no idea who it could be except Sun or her parents coming to visit, which usually barely happened since they were so busy. No, there were only four people that knew where she lived, and three of those people wouldn’t visit her this late, and one of those people lived miles away.

_Knock knock._

Blake swallowed thickly, clutching her phone as she rose from the couch. She shuffled closer to the door of her apartment, tip-toeing as quietly as possible. Whoever it was, she would tell them they have the wrong place.

“Who is it?” Blake asked, wrapping her hand around the door knob tightly, but also keeping an eye on her knife block in the kitchen, just in case it was someone she needed to defend herself from.

“Blake.”

Blake’s heart stopped, and she dropped her phone to the floor. The voice was muffled, and unclear, but even in her shocked state, there was no doubt in her mind who it was.

She flung her door open, eyes wide and frantic, heart racing in her chest at the sight of Yang, standing there with her bomber jacket around her and the cutest blush on her face, love pouring from her gaze.

“Yang?” Blake breathed out in disbelief, eyes flitting back and forth all over her face, hand shakily and unconsciously reaching out to touch her face. Yang smiled widely at her, un-shed tears in her eyes as she leaned into Blake’s touch on her cheek.

“I told you I’d make it up to you.” Yang replied, and it snapped Blake out of her reverie, big smile threatening to rip her cheeks as she flung herself into Yang’s arms, the woman letting out a soft ‘oof’ before wrapping her arm around her in a strong embrace, warmth spreading through both of their bodies.

“What the _hell-?_ How did you get here? _When_ did you get here?” Blake had so many questions, and Yang pulled back from her to look her in the eyes, holding onto her waist.

“I jumped on the earliest plane to get here.” Yang said, and Blake blinked a few times, wracking her brain from earlier in the day. “Well, not _literally_ jumped, because as much as I wanted to get here faster, I also didn’t want to die.”

Blake sighed and flicked her shoulder, failing to keep her smile inside when Yang giggled at her. 

“Remember that girl Ruby ran into the door for?” Yang asked.

“Yeah?”

“Turns out, she’s probably the richest girl in the damn town and her father owns like three private jets. Ruby and her have been... Getting along.” Yang wiggled her eyebrows, and Blake snorted. “So, we’ve become really close friends, and when I mentioned how badly I wanted to see you, she hooked me up.”

Blake’s heart swelled in her chest when Yang pulled her closer, their foreheads touching with their eyes locked. She had a lot of emotions flitting through her at once, so many thoughts and things she wanted to say. 

Instead, she put all of that into one simple action. She leaned forward and pressed their lips together, Yang’s grip tightening around her waist. She cupped Yang’s cheeks and held her close, their kiss gentle and sweet and loving, everything that made Blake fall in love with Yang in the first place.

They stayed like that for a minute, before Blake pulled away, thumbs caressing her lovers’ cheeks softly, eyes full of love and smiles full of warmth.

“I missed you so much.” Blake mumbled, and Yang smiled at her, leaving her breathless.

“I missed you more.” Yang said, and Blake groaned out loud, pulling away from her.

“We’re _not_ starting this argument again.” Blake joked, and Yang laughed at her as she wheeled her suitcase inside her apartment, the door shutting softly behind her.

“We’ve got lots of time to go through that argument again.” Yang said, smirking at her. “One that I’d win, of course.”

Blake raised her eyebrow, mischievous glint in her eye and slight smirk on her face.

“We’ll see.” She said, and before she could react, Yang shrugged off her jacket to hang it up on the coat hook near the door, then quickly grabbed her hand and spun her around, catching her in a dip.

“We’ll definitely see.” Yang said with a cheesy grin, and Blake giggled when she pulled her back to stand upright. “But first, I _did_ say I would cook for you, right?”

Even though Yang’s cooking consisted of many burnt dishes to the point they had to settle on cereal, Blake couldn’t care less. Her doubts had washed away the minute she heard Yang’s voice, and she knew she loved this girl more than anything. And with Yang’s head in her lap on the couch, the blonde fast asleep and curled into a ball, she knew Yang loved her too.

Distance was difficult, but they were strong. And they’d never be broken apart, not even by the many miles between them. 


	25. Don't Look (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came across this prompt i had like many months ago that i never posted in here for some reason, so here's another tumblr prompt i was given lol
> 
> premise: yang is injured in the grimm invasion in volume 7, when she, blake and elm are dealing with all those grimm and evacuating mantle, remember? someone gave me the prompt "don't look" :) hope you guys enjoy!

That really fucking hurt.

That was Yang’s only thought when her Aura had been broken just minutes before and she proceeded to be thrown into one of the brick walls of an abandoned building.

She crumpled to the ground, ears ringing but still faintly making out the call of her name from somewhere- far and distant, it sounded like, but was probably in reality very close. Yang wheezed and clutched at her left arm, the appendage taking most of the damage as she slammed into the wall.

Yang scoured her mind to figure out what had even happened. One minute, she was fighting with Blake and Elm, protecting their airship from some stragglers of Grimm. She had turned to help Blake when two of them were flanking her partner, and the next thing she knew something sharp stabbed her back, breaking her Aura with one hit. Soon after, she realised it was a Grimm with two sharp tusks, a smaller version of the big one that was chasing Blake before.

It used its tusks after to send her flying and, well, now here she was, limp on the ground with a broken Aura and a very messed up arm.

“Yang!” She heard, hurried steps coming towards her. Yang blinked her eyes open and tried to focus, wincing at the shooting pain in her left arm. She grunted as she sat herself up, leaning her back against the wall. Blake was the one that called her name, and the faunus was now crouching down to her level, ears stood up on her head and amber eyes full of worry. “Yang, are you okay?”

Yang just grimaced when Blake touched her shoulder, a grunt escaping her lips. Blake frowned and looked her over, then looked back towards Elm, who was standing in front of the ship still. Elm motioned towards them both, letting them know that they should get into the ship and head out of there.

“We have to move.” Blake said, and she reached out to help her partner. Yang allowed her to take her by her right arm, Blake heaving her up and letting her lean against her side, the two of them making their way to the ship.

“I’m sorry.” Yang said through clenched teeth, trying to hide the wince when she attempted to move her other arm. No dice- it hurt like a motherfucker.

Blake looked at her incredulously. “Yang, no apologies, okay? It wasn’t your fault, you just… You just wanted to help me.” Blake said softly, trying to catch Yang’s gaze. Yang just sighed, and this time she couldn’t help the cry of pain when she and Blake almost tripped over the ramp of the airship, her left arm shooting out on instinct and sending sizzling pain all over her body.

“Yang?” Blake asked carefully, stumbling them inside the ship as the ramp raised up, Elm following close behind them. She let them be though, and instead went over to talk to the pilots. Yang pulled away from Blake, clutching at her arm and holding it close to her, shielding it. Blake blinked at her, confusion and concern shimmering in her eyes. “Yang, let me see.”

Yang clenched her jaw and shook her head, limping herself over to the corner of the ship, ignoring the prying eyes of civilians and soldiers. She carefully plopped herself down and pointedly looked away when Blake sat next to her.

“Yang.”

“Blake, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Yang replied quickly, gaze still averted. She knew if she looked too long into her partner’s eyes, that she’d want to open up. She’d want to show her, because she could never keep things from Blake for long. 

“Yang, I want to see. If you need help, we need to look at it right away.” Blake urged, shifting closer to her to grab at the collar of her bomber jacket. Yang flinched, her face contorting in pain when she moved her arm. Blake stared at her, expression almost heartrendingly worried as she took in Yang’s state.

“Blake, please.” Yang almost whispered, shaking her head once more. “It’s fine. These people need our help more.”

“Yang, your safety is just as important as theirs.” Blake said, hands starting to push at Yang’s jacket, trying to slide it off her shoulders to look at her injuries. Yang sighed sharply and twisted her body away, and when Blake managed to slip the one side of her jacket off her body, Yang snapped.

“Blake, stop!” Yang hissed through her teeth, slight red hue to her eyes when she looked into Blake’s shocked ones. “You can’t.. You can’t look. Don’t look. I’ll be fine.” Yang said, levelling Blake with a fierce stare. 

Blake paused her movements now, and Yang was leaning a bit away from her. Blake watched her intently, eyes shining with a care that Yang still wasn’t entirely used to. 

The silence dragged on, and it helped to calm Yang down a little bit. The red in her eyes was gone, and she took a deep breath to calm herself more. Blake removed her hands from her jacket and placed them in her lap, clearing her throat.

“Yang…” Blake’s voice was lowered to a soft whisper, and Yang closed her eyes for a second, gathering her thoughts. “I’m sorry for pushing. I just… Don’t shut me out, okay? We’re passed that.. Aren’t we?”

Yang bit her lip and opened her eyes again, sighing lightly. She glanced at Blake, reaching out to grasp Blake’s hand with her mechanical one.

“We are.” She said softly. Blake squeezed her hand, and Yang shifted closer to her. “I’m sorry for acting like that. I just… I’m used to being the one people lean on, you know? The one to protect everyone else. It’s still hard to.. Let my guard down.” Yang’s voice was gentle now, keeping the conversation between the two of them the best she could with the civilians around.

“I get that.” Blake said, and Yang was grateful for her so much. Comforting, supportive Blake, always there. There was a time when she wasn’t, and Yang took a long time to get over that, but it was a long time ago now. They were here together, and Yang was thankful.

Yang sighed and shifted a little, allowing the jacket to fall from her body. Blake pulled it away from her left arm, Yang wincing when her fingers brushed the skin. Blake gasped softly when she pulled the jacket completely away, fingers closing around Yang’s wrist, holding the arm steady.

“Jesus, Yang.” Blake breathed out. Yang hummed and looked down at her arm, the nasty gashes digging into her skin from where she slammed into the bricks, the texture having ripped through that part of her jacket and scratching her up. Blake briefly, with a feather light touch, ghosted her fingertips along the wounds, frowning when Yang grimaced. “This isn’t pretty. When we get back to Atlas, we should wrap it up.”

Yang nodded with a sigh, then leaned her head back onto the wall of the ship. She jumped when she felt something soft and wet on her wrist, her eyes snapping down. 

Blake pressed her lips just near the wounds, careful not to touch them directly, as they were still bleeding a little. But the thought was there anyway, and when she pulled away, she raised her eyes and looked at Yang, small smile on her face.

“Thank you for trusting me.” Blake said, and Yang couldn’t help the grin that formed on her lips. She nodded at her.

“Sorry for being stubborn.” Yang replied with slight embarrassment, cheeks heating up when Blake giggled at her. Blake waved her hand in dismissal and slotted herself next to her, Yang pulling her arm close to her body to cushion it.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve gotten used to it.” Blake teased, and Yang rolled her eyes and knocked their shoulders together.

“Whatever.” Yang replied, and Blake just smiled at her again. Yang pressed a bit closer to her, allowing Blake’s head to fall to her shoulder.

“You gonna be my nurse back in Atlas?” Yang joked, and she felt Blake rumble with laughter. She hummed in response, snuggling closer to her partner.

“Guess so.” Blake said, and Yang liked how warm she felt at that thought.

Nothing else was said, but that was okay with them. Yang’s arm hurt like a bitch, but at least she’d have her partner to take care of her. 

Sometimes, Yang realised, it’s okay to have others care for you.

Especially if that means Blake would be her nurse.


	26. i think you're so good (and i'm nothing like you) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from a prompt list on tumblr: "You deserve more than i could ever give you"
> 
> premise: bees reunion in volume 8, major spoilers for chapters 4 and 5!!
> 
> chapter title is from "love like you" by rebecca sugar/from the steven universe soundtrack

Being holed up in Weiss’ childhood home, Blake realised, wasn’t her ideal choice of where to lay low until they could get a move on with Nora. As much as she loved Weiss, and the warmth the home provided for her aching and cold bones, there was just so much... _space_.

Empty space.

And with that empty space came many, many thoughts in her head that just wouldn’t leave. Especially ones that regarded Yang, and whether she and the rest of the boys were okay down there in Mantle.

Among these many thoughts, one that stuck out like a sore thumb in her mind was a crafted scenario of what would happen when they met again. She was on edge, hoping and praying that wherever Yang was, she was at least safe and sound. 

Despite her hopes, though, she knew that whenever she could see her partner again, a part of her expected (and wanted) to be able to run to her, into her arms and hold her close and inhale her usual scent of leather and sweat and war, maybe lay one right on her lips if the timing felt right because _fuck_ , they were in a _war_ and seeing what happened to Nora and Ren made her realise that maybe there was no point in waiting around and dancing around these feelings, because who the hell knows what could happen next.

None of that happened when they finally _did_ see each other again.

Granted, maybe she understood why- after all, they had just learned that Oscar and the relic were with Salem, Penny was nowhere to be found and Pietro and Maria filled them in on their encounter with Cinder, Emerald and Neo.

A lot was happening, she knew that. 

But she at least expected Yang to _look_ at her.

When the Atlas group walked into the hideout, hugs and choruses of “glad you’re okay” sounded from everyone, and Blake had stood by the door watching everyone hold each other- Ruby with Jaune and Weiss with Ren, then they switched, and then Ruby looked over to Yang and the sisters immediately hugged, no words needing to be said in the moment.

After Blake had given hugs to Jaune and Ren and filled them in on Nora’s condition, she looked over to Yang, the many scenarios flitting around in her head at what to say to her, what to _do_ now that she was right in front of her and it was her turn for a hug, or a handhold, or _something_.

But Yang merely glanced at her and then turned away to walk across the room and sit at a table in the corner, pointedly avoiding her gaze and sending Blake’s heart plummeting to the floor.

Ren and Jaune had left to be with Nora in the other room, on both sides of her bed, holding a hand each. Ruby was talking with Pietro and Maria near the exit of the hideout, and when Blake swivelled her ear over that way, she caught the tail end of Penny’s name and that was all she needed to know. 

Weiss sat near her at a table with her head in her hands and eyes closed, and she watched as Ruby finished her talk with Pietro and Maria and walked over to her partner, sitting next to her and prodding at a hand to hold it.

But, then Blake returned her gaze to Yang, who still wouldn’t grace her with a look even after so long of not seeing each other.

Blake frowned, her heart pricking with pain at the far away look in Yang’s eyes, the pointed stare at a spot on the table in front of her as she twiddled with her mechanical fingers. A part of her wondered if she had done something- if her not going with Yang caused this rift, now. Was she angry at her?

“Blake.”

She jumped and turned slightly to see Ruby looking up at her, her hand still wrapped around Weiss’ as the white-haired girl laid her head on her shoulder. Ruby gave her a soft smile and motioned towards Yang with a nod of her head.

“Go talk to her.” She said, and that was all Blake needed to start moving, her ears slowly lowering on her head as she approached her at the table, her eyes never once meeting hers.

She sucked down the dull ache in her heart at that, and instead sat down in the empty seat beside her partner, who remained turned away from her slightly.

“... Yang?” Blake said with caution. Whatever had her on edge, whatever Blake had done to cause this, she wasn’t going to ruin it any further by coming on too strong. She hated the thought of a divide between them, after everything they’d been through together. 

Yang blinked, almost as if she were in a trance with the table before, and raised her head just slightly, which seemed like a good sign from Blake’s perspective. Blake licked her lips and leaned forward, gently laying a hand on her mechanical arm, carefully.

Yang blinked again and shot her eyes to her hand, then looked up and _finally_ looked into Blake’s eyes, her lilac orbs unreadable for a moment. Blake shifted her chair a bit closer to her partner, and was relieved when Yang allowed it.

“Are you alright? Did I...” Blake bit her lip, ears pinned to her head in sadness. “Are you... Upset with me? Because I went to Atlas?”

Yang’s eyes widened instantly, and that seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts were in her brain because she shook her head violently, eyebrows furrowing.

“No! No, I...” Yang trailed off, seemingly shrinking in on herself for a second, which wasn’t something Blake expected at all. She licked her lips and sighed, shaking Blake’s hand off of her only to hold it in her mechanical one, squeezing it.

“No, I’m not upset with you.” Yang said gently, looking into her eyes. Her cheeks flushed, and Blake raised an eyebrow at the sudden shyness coming from her usually bold partner. “I thought... _You_ would be upset.”

“What?” Blake said in disbelief, pulling Yang closer in an instant and cupping her cheek with her right hand, maintaining their eye contact.

“I...” Yang pursed her lips and sighed gently, leaning into Blake’s hand on her cheek. She relaxed some more, to Blake’s relief, and her throat bobbed when she swallowed. “I just thought... You’d be angry that I didn’t go with you, that I wasn’t thinking of... The big picture, or something.” She mumbled the last bit and glanced away from her, but with a caress from Blake’s thumb on her cheek, she returned her gaze.

Blake blinked at her for a second, before breathing out a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes.

“ _Yang_.” She said, smile growing on her lips. Yang blinked back at her dumbly, and she giggled, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. Yang’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of red, but she didn’t pull away from her.

“You have nothing to worry about.” Blake said.

“I just...” Yang tightened her grip on her hand. “What if it’s not... _Enough?”_

 _“What if I’m not enough?”_ Was what Blake heard.

“You’re just... So big and bright and have the whole _world_ on your shoulders and I... Don’t.” Yang said softly, Blake’s heart breaking with every word. “You deserve more than I could ever give you.”

Maybe she wasn’t meant to hear that last part, truly. Maybe that was something Yang didn’t mean to say out loud, within the limited space in between them with their foreheads pressed together. But she heard it anyway, and she immediately moved her hand to cup Yang’s jaw.

“I don’t need more.” Blake replied, and Yang sucked in a harsh breath when she leaned in a bit closer, their lips inches apart, Yang’s puffs of breath fanning out against her lips. “Everything I want is right here.”

Blake’s ears unfolded themselves to wiggle on her head when Yang reached up to her hair, gently carding her fingers through the short strands as Blake leaned in slightly, closing the gap when she saw Yang was completely okay with it.

Maybe the scenarios in her head gave her the impression that their first kiss would be explosive, desperate, passionate- so many things that it really wasn’t.

This was... So much _more._

Her lips pressed against Yang’s, soft and light and Yang moved back against hers just as softly- tentatively, carefully.

She felt warmth spread from her lips and all the way into her chest, even down to her toes. She gently stroked her thumb on Yang’s jaw, and the hum of appreciation she received was worth every misstep and mistake they’d ever gone through.

She got a bit bolder- she wasn’t ashamed to admit- as she moved a bit closer, leaning so far off her own chair that she was most definitely about to fall off. But she didn’t care- not when Yang accepted her into her strong, warm arms and angled her head to the side, following her lead to have a better angle.

She moved her hand to the back of Yang’s neck, gently stroking the soft skin there and marvelling at the shiver it produced in her partner. She knew they should probably stop- there were prying eyes around them, there were still things they needed to talk about, they had plans to make.

It was difficult, because she was already addicted to those soft, inviting lips and the smile that was firmly etched on them when she did finally pull away, but she knew they had to.

“ _Oh_.” Yang breathed out against her lips, and Blake let out a giggle, heart fluttering.

“The big picture is important,” Blake said, opening her eyes to look into Yang’s, almost taken off guard with the amount of love and adoration in them. “But so are the little things.”

Yang sighed and opened her mouth to retort, but Blake swooped in to leave a soft peck on her lips, delighted when Yang let out an “mmph”.

“I mean it.” Blake said when she pulled away again, and Yang looked at her, some uncertainty still in her eyes. Blake gripped her hands and squeezed them, smiling softly at her. “When I’m flying too high, I know I’ll have you to bring me back to the ground.”

She paused for a second and then pressed a kiss to Yang’s mechanical knuckles, smile never leaving her face.

“That’s what I love about you.” Blake continued, and Yang flushed. “So... We’re okay, Yang. Really.”

Yang looked like she had a lot more to say, and Blake didn’t blame her if she did, but she seemed to fight against whatever was in her mind. Instead, she sighed and nodded just slightly, a small smile forming on her lips.

“I trust you.” Yang replied, and that was the most lovely thing Blake had heard in a long time.

Soon, they were called to action again, and their lives went back to fighting Grimm and stopping a war.

But they had each other, and they were together again.

They’ll be okay.


	27. Protecting Each Other (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr is doing the most giving me prompts right now sooo here's another one i just churned out pretty quick lol this ones kinda short but i hope it's enjoyable either way <3
> 
> prompt: "there's nothing i wouldn't do to keep you safe - yang to blake."
> 
> premise: volume 6 after they've dealt with adam and are holding each other at the waterfall

“I’m not gonna break my promise. I _swear_.”

Blake turned her face into her neck, her tears dampening into her skin and in turn, her jacket. But she didn’t care about any of that in the moment- all she cared about was the girl in her arms and that they were both _safe_ and _alive_.

Yang released a shaky breath and pulled herself away from Blake, leaning back to look straight into her eyes as she raised her hand to the side of her head, threading them in her raven locks.

“I _know_ you won’t.” She replied, and Blake’s eyes welled up with even more tears as she pressed their foreheads together. Yang stared at her as she closed her eyes, her amber orbs hidden from view as the sobs wracked her body, and lifted her mechanical hand to cup her cheek.

Yang’s heart both fluttered and sank when Blake’s hand raised to Yang’s hand on her cheek, laying her own over it and squeezing tightly to keep it there.

Not that Yang was going to pull away anytime soon.

She shifted the tiniest bit closer on her knees, eyes locked on Blake’s face tear stained and crumpled face. Part of her was completely shaken, completely in disbelief at what just happened. One minute, she was just waiting at Bumblebee for Blake to come back, and the next, she sent her bike off a cliff into Blake’s completely out of control ex.

And now he was gone. Out of their lives forever, and yet...

She didn’t feel relief. She felt sick to her stomach.

“Yang.” Blake whispered to her, so soft and mouse-like that she almost missed it over the roar of the waterfall next to them. Yang moved both of her hands, with some difficulty due to Blake’s death-like grip on her metal one, and gently thumbed underneath her eyes to swipe away the remaining tears. Blake opened her eyes finally, her tears slowly subsiding and small sniffles coming from her nose. 

Yang hummed gently in acknowledgement. Blake took several shaky breaths to calm herself a little more, one of her hands resting on Yang’s hip, her fingertips brushing against the skin exposed between her jacket and pants.

“I’m so sorry.” Blake finally said, and Yang’s brows furrowed at the broken look in her eyes, the regret and the sadness. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I never thought he’d show up _now_ , I-” She couldn’t finish the thought, but she didn’t have to.

“Shhh, hey, hey.” Yang said delicately, cupping Blake’s jaw to lift her head slightly, maintaining their eye contact. “It’s not your fault.”

Blake’s ears flicked on her head and she shook her head, sniffling again.

“Blake.” Yang said, soft but firm. “He wasn’t going to stop.”

“I know.” Blake replied quietly- defeated. “I know. I just wish...” She trailed off and shook her head again, sighing and pulling her head away from Yang’s, but remained close to her to press both of her hands on her waist.

“I didn’t... Want this, either.” Yang said, and Blake flicked her eyes up to meet hers again. She licked her lips and cupped the back of Blake’s head, fingers embedded in her hair once again.

“But we had no choice.” Yang continued. 

Blake didn’t respond, but she was clearly still shaken and uncertain of everything that had happened, and Yang couldn’t blame her.

She took a breath and despite her raging heartbeat at realising just how _close_ they were to losing each other, _again_ , and despite her palm beginning to sweat at the fact this was the closest they’d ever physically been in a long time, Yang leaned forward.

Blake let out a cute squeak, perhaps involuntarily, when Yang brushed her lips against her forehead, lingering briefly. Blake tightened her grip on her waist and Yang pressed their foreheads together again after she pulled her lips away, light flutter in her heart at the pink on Blake’s cheeks and the look she had in her eyes.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.” Yang murmured, and Blake’s eyes widened slightly, but still said nothing as Yang continued on. “And I know you’ll keep me safe too... Protecting each other, right?”

Blake blinked at her several times, before she finally nodded slowly, releasing a breath and leaning forward to wrap her arms around Yang in a tight hug.

Yang returned the embrace, relief and warmth spreading throughout her body. 

They had a brush with death yet again. But, as they held each other on the edge of a cliff, next to a rushing waterfall, the unspoken agreement passed through them through their embrace.

They’ll keep each other safe. They’ll protect each other. They won’t be scattered broken pieces anymore.

They’ll work to be whole again - together.


	28. Rest (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three prompts today i'm just churning one shots out like crazy lol, another kind of short one.
> 
> prompt: "just rest, i'm here."
> 
> premise: post volume 7, though basically takes place in the first episode of volume 8 before ruby, weiss, oscar and maria show up at the happy huntress' hideout and basically just showing the bees in those moments.

The minute they settled into the Happy Huntress hideout in Mantle, Yang hadn’t stopped pacing around the room.

Blake was sitting in one of the many chairs in the room, and team JNR sat together at one of the other tables not far from her, with Penny standing near Pietro and talking with him. Joanna had stepped out of the room to watch for the airship with the others on it.

But Yang was up and about, thumb in her mouth as she chewed on her nail and scorched marks into the floor - back and forth she went just in front of her, Blake’s eyes following her every move with her ears lowering on her head at the clear anxiety on her partner’s face.

Everything had gone so _wrong_ in a matter of minutes - relic and Oscar lost, though one of those things should be coming back to them soon, Salem flooding the city with Grimm and despair, Ironwood and the Ace-Ops betraying them. So much had happened that it was hard to even process it all and Blake would be lying if she said she wasn’t just as worried or anxious about the entire situation.

But, she was also able to remain seated, despite her anxiety, however Yang was the complete opposite - she always had been. She needed to move, needed to be _doing_ something rather than sitting down to feel useful, to feel like she wasn’t letting people down in some way.

Blake loved her for it, but it was also getting annoying watching her go back and forth for the past thirty minutes.

“Yang.” Blake finally broke the general silence in the room, and her partner immediately stopped in her tracks, spinning around to look at her. She blinked at her, and Blake slowly pulled out the chair next to her, motioning towards it. “Come sit.”

Yang glanced to the chair, but merely sighed lightly and turned away again, placing her hands on her hips.

“I can’t...” Yang trailed off, frustration lacing her tone. She floundered for a moment before returning her eyes to Blake, the lilac swirling with the same anxious look from before. “Not until Ruby gets back.”

Blake frowned and allowed her shoulders to sag. She stared into Yang’s eyes for another moment, and when her partner still refused to take a seat and finally rest for once, she sighed and stood up from her chair.

Yang blinked in surprise when she stood in front of her, her hands coming up to grasp the lapels of her bomber jacket. Blake lowered her voice, attempting to keep the conversation between just the two of them.

“I know you’re worried.” Blake said softly, and Yang let out a shaky breath, but Blake tightened her grip on her jacket, looking up at her with amber eyes full of concern. “But they’ll be okay. _We’ll_ all be okay. It’s not a crime to just... Relax for a second.”

Yang stared at her and pursed her lips, clearly waging a war in her mind at what to do. Blake sighed again and stepped a bit closer, moving her hands to lay on Yang’s shoulders now, soft and gentle as to not overwhelm her in the moment.

She saw the light pink on Yang’s cheeks as she drew closer, and although that delighted her immensely and would definitely catalogue it for later, her mission right now was to get Yang to take a breather, _for once_.

“I know you feel like you need to take care of everyone else.” Blake started, and Yang broke their eye contact briefly, but Blake shot her hand up to place two fingers underneath her chin, bringing her eyes back to hers. “But who’s taking care of you?”

Yang’s eyes flitted all around her face for a moment, and her lips curled up just slightly, though Blake could see the conflicting feelings in her eyes.

“You?” Yang replied, and although it was said lightheartedly, Blake heard the waver in her voice anyways, could practically feel the anxiety coiling in her partner’s stomach at everything going on, at the idea of Blake not being there.

But Blake returned the smile and took Yang’s mechanical hand, nodding slowly and tugging her closer to where the chairs were.

“Always.” Blake said, and she saw the way her shoulders relaxed just a tiny bit, and she only needed to hammer the nail deeper into the coffin by saying, “Just rest. I’m here.”

Yang finally let out a deeper breath and followed her to the chairs. Blake hid her triumphant smile by turning away to walk back to her chair, settling down in it and placing her hands in her lap. 

Yang pushed the other chair out of the way briefly, Blake furrowing her eyebrows slightly. Yang smiled cheekily at her and plopped onto the table instead, placing her feet on the chair she had pushed out of the way. Blake huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes, but Yang leaned forward, dropping her voice low to stay between them.

“I’m here too, you know.” Yang said. Her smile was soft and beautiful, and Blake felt a flutter in her heart and then proceeded to feel a twitch to her right ear as she heard the sounds of the airship landing outside.

“I know.” Blake replied, and Yang reached out to squeeze her hand once more.

The rest of the gang barged in after that, and although Yang only remained seated for all of five minutes, it was progress.

Blake just hoped she’d remember to rest when she’s not there.


	29. i'm here (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "please, let me help you."
> 
> premise: after the battle at haven, everyone stays at Haven Academy for the night to recover before their journey to Atlas.

The minute Weiss was patched up and stable enough to walk around, Ruby was by her side instantly.

Not that she was the only one that was worried - not at all. In fact, _everyone_ was worried for her and wanted to make sure she was okay. It was a scary moment, and Weiss herself still seemed pretty shaken at the entire ordeal. However, she also just _relieved_ that they had won - that they were all okay in the end, and could continue their mission.

Before that could happen, though, they stayed for one more night at the Academy, to allow everyone to rest, especially Weiss, and prepare for the train ride to Atlas.

It was during this night that Ruby remembered hearing something clattering around outside of her room, eyebrows furrowing as she shot up in bed, gazing in the darkness. 

It had only been a few hours since everyone went into their separate rooms, hoping to catch some much needed sleep before the journey ahead. She remembered laying Weiss down in her bed as well, tucking her in and fretting over if it was too loose or too tight, if the mattress was okay, if the pillows were fluffed just right.

Weiss had told her not to worry. But, she couldn’t exactly help it when her partner had been stabbed through the abdomen and fell to the ground on her knees with blood seeping from her wound, through the soft material of her dress and it looked all too familiar, all too much like someone else she had lost to Cinder and it wasn’t going to happen again, and _definitely_ not to Weiss - not her partner.

She stayed for ten extra minutes to make sure Weiss fell asleep. So, as she sat there in the dark in her room and heard another clatter outside, and a muffled curse, she realised she expected everyone to still be asleep, but clearly, she was wrong.

She frowned and groggily got out of her bed, running a hand down her face as she tiredly stepped towards her door. She may be absolutely beat, and it could very well just be Yang raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack, but whoever was making so much noise, she needed to tell them to tone it down a little, lest they wanted to deal with a cranky Weiss in the morning.

She crept along and opened her door, almost being blinded by the open door of the bathroom across the hallway, the door slightly ajar and light pouring out of it. She blinked a few times to gain her sight back, and she sighed lightly, rubbing her left eye as she approached the door.

“Mmm, Yang, that you?” Ruby muttered with sleep lacing her tone. The person inside must have paused their movements, because the sounds stopped abruptly. Ruby raised an eyebrow and knocked on the door softly. “Listen, I know you gotta pee randomly in the middle of the night but can you be a bit quieter? You know Weiss needs the sleep.”

Another beat of silence, and Ruby blinked again at the lack of response.

“Yang-?”

“Ruby.”

Ruby’s eyes popped open, tiredness long forgotten as Weiss’ voice floated through the slightly open door, sounding pained and tired. Ruby gripped the door knob and shoved her way inside, and what she found crumbled her heart.

Weiss sat on the edge of the bathtub, her night shirt rucked up just under her chest and her bandages completely soaked through with blood, her blue eyes pained and a roll of gauze set down next to her thigh on the edge of the tub. 

“ _Weiss_.” Ruby said in disbelief, quickly closing the door behind her and rushing to her injured partner, slight panic in her mannerisms and voice. “W-What’s going on? Are you okay? Should I get Uncle Qr-”

“ _No_.” Weiss replied firmly, wincing a little when she shifted herself. “I’ll… I’ll be fine, Ruby. It just started to bleed through, so I was going to reapply the bandages myself.”

Weiss sighed lightly and Ruby immediately knelt down in front of her, eyes searching her icy blues.

“Why didn’t you come get me? Or-or anyone? This looks really bad, Weiss.” Ruby said with a whimper, leaning forward a bit to look at the blood seeping through the gauze wrapped around her abdomen. Weiss sighed and shook her head, grabbing the extra bandages next to her thigh.

“I can do it myself. Really, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Weiss said, and Ruby looked up at her then, noticing the subdued look in Weiss’ eyes despite the fact she could tell how much discomfort she was in because of this.

Ruby frowned and placed her hand on Weiss’ knee, prompting her to look into her eyes.

“Weiss, please.” Ruby said, and a crease formed between Weiss’ brows. “Please, let me help you.”

Her partner fell silent for a moment, clearly contemplative. Ruby stared up at her from her kneeling position on the floor for what seemed like hours, until finally, Weiss sighed and held out the bandages towards her, Ruby taking them immediately.

Weiss remained quiet as Ruby started to work, peeling the soaked bandages off of her body piece by piece, whispering apologies and soft words of encouragement any time Weiss winced or showed any sort of pain. She swallowed thickly when all the bandages were off, throwing them in the trash can near the bathtub.

Ruby couldn’t help but stare at the wound in Weiss’ stomach, blood dribbling down from it and it made her _sick._ It made her fill with such red, blind rage at who caused it that Ruby momentarily forgot what she was doing, where she was and who she was with. She clenched her jaw at the sight of the wound, already feeling tears of frustration and anger bubbling beneath the surface.

If only she’d been faster. If only she’d been paying attention to others around her, to _Cinder_. Maybe then-

“Hey.”

Weiss’ soft voice brought her back to reality, and once it did, she blinked and looked down at her, meeting her ocean eyes.

“Sorry.” Ruby mumbled back, before beginning the process of wrapping Weiss’ wound back up, as gently as possible as to not cause her any more pain than she was already in. Weiss sucked in a breath a few times, to which Ruby muttered more apologies, until it was finally done, bandages wrapped securely.

“There.” Ruby said softly.

Weiss lowered her night shirt back down, and when Ruby reached her hand out to help her stand, she did it without much hesitation this time, allowing her to steady her once she was up.

Ruby flitted her eyes all over Weiss’ face, taking in the bags under her eyes and the dull pain in her eyes at what her body has been through. Ruby’s heart pricked with pain in her chest, and she held Weiss upright as she wobbled a little, but she ultimately stayed up on her own, a light sigh escaping her lips.

“Thank you.” Weiss muttered, so soft and gentle that Ruby almost missed it.

Ruby nodded, but pursed her lips and placed a soft hand on Weiss’ shoulder, careful not to jostle her too much.

“Why didn’t you ask anyone for help?” Ruby asked, and Weiss let out a soft breath, shuffling her feet a little.

“I just… Didn’t want to bother anyone. It’s late, and… It’s my burden to bear.” 

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows and immediately shook her head, letting out a pained sound as she grasped Weiss’ hands in her own, getting her to meet her eyes.

“Not anymore.” Ruby pleaded. “You’re with us, now. We’re all here for you.” She squeezed Weiss’ hands. “ _I’m_ here for you.”

There were several beats of silence from the both of them, and Ruby wasn’t sure if her words had reached her partner’s ears, had gotten through in any way.

She got a small nod in return, and a tentative smile. It wasn’t much, and even when she lead Weiss back to her room and tucked her in again with care, she didn’t get many more words out of her before she fell fast asleep again.

From that alone, Ruby vowed to still never leave Weiss’ side, all the way to Atlas if she had to.

She almost lost her at Haven.

She wasn’t going to lose her again, and she vowed to tell her that as many times as she needed to hear it.

She’d be with her every step of the way. 


	30. Scar (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "this scar... What happened?"
> 
> premise: somewhere in volume 7 when they're still working with the ace ops and doing missions and stuff

Ruby couldn’t sleep.

She was wide awake as she laid in her bed in their Atlas dorm room, staring up at the ceiling and tracing the minuscule slice of moonlight that crept through the curtains covering the window. It was similar in shape to Crescent Rose, in her mind, and she _really_ wanted to tell somebody but had no way of doing so without waking her teammates up in some way.

She furrowed her brow and blew out a puff of air from her lips, removing her gaze from the Crescent Rose on the ceiling and shifting onto her right side, instead looking across the room at the wall.

That lasted for all of five minutes before she shifted _again_ onto her stomach, mushing her face into her pillow and letting out an exasperated sigh. It wasn’t like she was _trying_ to stay awake through the night. She was highly aware of the important mission she and Weiss were supposed to go on tomorrow, and she _wanted_ to sleep and rest up for it as best she could.

But, her eyes remained open and sleep just seemed to evade her that night, much to her annoyance. 

She shifted back onto her back and pushed the covers down to the bottom of her bed, and just as she shifted once more to fluff up her pillows some more, she heard a tired groan from beneath her, which gave her pause.

“ _Ruby_.” Weiss said in exasperation, the sleep lacing her tone not lost on Ruby, which suggested her rustling must have woken her partner up. Ruby stopped moving and flushed a deep red.

“Sorry.” Ruby whispered back, and there was a sigh from her partner and some rustling from below.

“It’s _three in the morning_. _Please_ get to sleep.” Weiss grumbled. Ruby pouted and shifted closer to the edge of her bed, leaning over the side to look down at the bottom bunk. All she saw of Weiss was her white locks splayed over the pillow and the back of her Atlas t shirt, her face aimed towards the wall. 

“I can’t sleep.” Ruby replied as quietly as possible. She watched as Weiss’ shoulders lifted up and down in another exasperated sigh, but she ultimately turned around in her bed. The minimal moonlight slipping through the curtains washed over Weiss’ face and Ruby brightened at her sleepy blue eyes and frown tugging at her lips as she manoeuvred herself closer to the edge of her bed to look up at her.

“If I recall correctly, you were the one that wanted to get to bed early to wake up early tomorrow for our mission.” Weiss said, raising her scarred eyebrow up at her partner. Ruby felt her cheeks heat up again, and she shrugged helplessly.

“Yeah…” Ruby trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “Guess I’m just antsy, or something.”

Weiss huffed and rolled her eyes, moving herself towards the middle of her bed and more so out of Ruby’s sight, much to Ruby’s disappointment.

But, her disappointment turned into a downright giddy feeling when she saw Weiss move her blankets a little out of the way, beckoning to Ruby with a single finger.

Ruby moved immediately and hopped down from her bunk, landing light on the carpet. She turned to Weiss and clambered into her bed, beaming smile on her face.

“We’re going right to sleep.” Weiss said, turned on her right side to look at Ruby as she snuggled under the covers. Ruby met her eyes, grateful for the moonlight streaming onto them so that she could see Weiss’ sparkling blue eyes right in front of her.

“’Course.” Ruby replied, and Weiss hummed, closing her eyes. Ruby shifted a little, eyes locked on Weiss’ serene face as her partner attempted to reclaim her sleepy state from earlier, before Ruby rudely woke her up.

Her lashes fluttered ever so slightly and it drew Ruby’s attention, her eyes tracing those lashes, up to her eyebrows, and finally landing on the scar running along one of those eyebrows, through her eye.

The moonlight seemed to single it out in that moment, bathing it in ethereal light and Ruby continued to stare intensely, still very far from any semblance of relaxation despite feeling infinitely more comfortable and warm in her partner’s bed.

“Ruby.” Weiss broke through the silence, and Ruby jumped, tearing her gaze away from Weiss’ scar and to her eyes, which were now open and looking back at her with a mix of concern and frustration.

“Sorry.” Ruby squeaked, glancing away from her. She felt Weiss’ body move, before a hesitant hand laid itself on her cheek. Ruby blinked, allowing Weiss to lift her head up to meet her eyes again.

“Are you okay?” Weiss asked, and it was clear her concern won over any sort of frustration she felt, and Ruby immediately melted into her touch, leaning into the hand on her cheek and nodding slightly.

“Yeah. I’m fine, I just…” Ruby bit her lip and chewed for a minute, before moving herself closer to Weiss. Weiss’ pale cheeks tinged pink as she did so, her face now inches from Weiss’ and their noses almost touching. “I realised something.”

Weiss hummed questioningly. Ruby took a breath and pulled her hand out from under the covers, reaching towards Weiss’ face.

Weiss let out a small noise at the action, instinctively retracting her face from the oncoming hand. Ruby flushed and smiled with an air of awkwardness. Weiss glanced to her hand and then back to her face, before letting out a sigh and leaning in a little, encouraging Ruby to do whatever it was she was planning.

Ruby’s smile turned small and soft, and she reached her hand out again, gently laying her finger on the tip of Weiss’ scar, above her eyebrow. She felt Weiss’ shaky breath against her face as she slowly but surely dragged her finger downwards. Weiss closed her left eye for a moment when Ruby’s finger caressed over her eyelid, down all the way to the opposite tip of the scar, below said eye.

Her partner let out a pleased hum when Ruby repeated the action a few times - at some point threading her fingers into Weiss’ hair and instead using her thumb to continue her soft caresses.

“I realised… You’ve never really talked about, well, _this_.” Ruby said.

“Hm?” Weiss replied, and Ruby bit back the giggle that threatened to escape when her partner blinked open her eyes, clearly still sleepy and almost on the verge of sleep again, possibly encouraged by Ruby’s gentle touch.

“This scar… What happened?” Ruby said, dropping her voice to a soft whisper - gentle and calming, hoping that Weiss understood she didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to.

Weiss’ eyes turned hazy for a moment. Ruby slowly stopped her movements along the scar, and was about to pull her hand away, when Weiss shot her hand up, laying it over Ruby’s and curling her fingers around it. Ruby squeaked softly in surprise, but Weiss just smiled lazily at her, keeping her hand on her face.

“Before I enrolled at Beacon, I would train at the manor.” Weiss said, and as she spoke, Ruby shifted herself impossibly closer, their legs entwining underneath the covers. Weiss glanced up into her eyes. “I fought an Arma Gigas Grimm, as a test.”

“ _Whoa_.” Ruby breathed out in disbelief, and Weiss rolled her eyes fondly back at her.

“Clearly, I won.” Weiss said. She smirked a little at first, but as soon as it came, it vanished and a troubled look washed over her face. Ruby felt her heart crack at that look, starting to caress just under Weiss’ scar, below her eye, and it seemed to relax her partner again. 

“Not without challenges, though.” Weiss continued, and although she didn’t say it outright, Ruby understood now.

“It did this to you?” Ruby said, hurt in her voice. Weiss nodded a little, and Ruby frowned, glancing her eyes over the slash through her partner’s beautiful icy blue eye. She was… Marred, all because of a test - a chance to prove herself and she was marked forever for it.

Ruby looked over the mark for another moment longer, before smiling a little and leaning forward. She heard the hitch in Weiss’ breathing when her lips came into contact on the tip of her scar, above her eyebrow, and then trailed her lips down, brushing across her eyelashes until she came into contact with the other tip below her eye, pressing her lips there for several seconds before pulling away.

She returned her head to the pillow and looked at Weiss straight on, not missing the pink hue to her cheeks.

“But you got back up.” Ruby said with sincerity, and Weiss blinked at her in response, and before she could say anything, Ruby blurted out, “You got back up, and you won. And now you have a badass scar to show for it.”

Weiss huffed a laugh at the childish glee in Ruby’s voice, shaking her head a little. Ruby beamed and removed her hand from Weiss’ face, but laid it over her waist, settling against her.

“I suppose you’re right.” Weiss replied, and Ruby maintained the smile on her face.

Then, Weiss yawned right in her face, and Ruby was brought back to the reality that it was probably now four in the morning and they had to be up in the next few hours.

She also realised, with all the talking, sleep actually invaded her now, crept up her body and also made her yawn, Weiss letting out another soft laugh.

“Let’s get some sleep now.” Weiss said, and Ruby sighed, the fatigue finally embracing her as she nodded, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against Weiss’.

As they laid there, legs and arms entangled and finally succumbing to sleep, Ruby was the most comfortable she had been in a long time.

One thing was for sure.

She was happy Weiss won that battle.


	31. I Want to Live Before I Die (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "I don't want to die, I just wish I could live a little."
> 
> premise: beacon days bees early on in their friendship/partnership

It was supposed to be a simple assignment from Ozpin.

And it _was_ easy, for the most part. Although they were two teammates short, and she had really only just met Yang a month ago, she quickly realised just how formidable and _amazing_ of a fighter she was.

They combined their techniques and performed so smoothly together that Blake truly had to commend herself on her decision making for a partner. Yang always had her back in whatever fight overtook them - and this simple assignment of clearing out a few Beowolves in the Emerald Forest was a breeze as they performed Bumblebee together, Blake launching Yang at the last Grimm and sending it flying through the forest.

“Hell yeah!” Yang cheered, pumping her fist and spinning around to face her. Blake huffed a laugh and sheathed Gambol Shroud on her back, shrugging her shoulders.

“We did pretty well.”

“Pretty we-? _Pretty well?”_ Yang said in disbelief, looking at her partner in bewilderment. “Blake, that was _awesome_. We kicked their asses!”

Yang beamed at her with such child-like excitement that Blake couldn’t help the fond smile that crept onto her face, the happy twinkle in Yang’s lilac eyes almost contagious.

“More like you did.” Blake responded, and was delighted when Yang’s cheeks flushed red, her hand reaching up to rub the back of her neck, something Blake realised, quite quickly, was a nervous tick of hers.

“Nah.” Yang mumbled back, glancing away from her and clearing her throat. “We worked as a team. Listen, not just anyone could throw me at the enemy that easily.”

Blake, to her dismay, let out a snort at that and quickly covered her mouth, but Yang had already heard it and laughed along with her.

Through their laughter, though, a loud roar echoed around them and abruptly cut into their tender moment. They both froze and whipped around, standing next to each other and readying their weapons immediately.

“I thought that was all of them?” Yang said, and Blake frowned, her ears twitching under her bow at the sounds of tree branches breaking in the distance. It didn’t sound _too_ close, and they were really only meant to take out the few Beowolves for Ozpin.

“Whatever it is, maybe we should go back.” Blake said, and Yang looked at her with an unreadable expression. Blake shrugged, lowering Gambol just slightly. “We’ve done our assignment, right? And maybe Ozpin wants to let another team come out here to get tested or something.” She said the last bit with a roll of her eyes, but it wasn’t out of malice for the odd Headmaster. She understood how he was testing them - to see if the partnerships were actually working out. Hence why Blake figured they may as well return to him and let him know they were finished.

Yang whined and sagged her shoulders, causing Blake to raise her eyebrow.

“Blake, _come on_. We just handed those Beowolves their asses and _now_ you want to back out? We can totally beat whatever else is out there!” She said, cocking Ember Celica and looking at her with a determined look in her eye. 

Blake shuffled her feet a little, really not knowing how to respond or what to do.

Yang smirked at her and before she could say or do anything, she ran towards the edge of the clearing they were in. Blake sputtered and shot after her immediately.

“Yang!” Blake called out after her, and Yang continued her way through the forest, closer and closer towards where the roaring came from. “Yang, come on. We don’t need to-”

Yang suddenly stopped at another clearing and if Blake didn’t have amazing reflexes, she would have slammed right into her back. She skidded to a stop just behind her and panted a little, but soon rounded her partner and looked at her face, slight annoyance in her own amber orbs.

“Yang, what the hell?” Blake said, and Yang shushed her, her eyes wide as she gestured towards the clearing. Blake furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, until she finally looked towards what had stunned her partner into silence.

It was a Beowolf - that much was certain. But as she gazed over it again and again, she realised it was _not_ a regular Beowolf in the slightest.

It was much larger, looming above them. Its body was covered in armour-like pieces and the claws on its fingers dug into the ground swiftly and easily, like cutting through butter.

Blake remembered the description from Port’s class - an Alpha Beowolf.

“Yang…” Blake whispered to her, but Yang didn’t move. Blake looked over at her, and Yang’s face split into a _grin_ , of all things and Blake was taken aback when her lilac eyes shot over to her.

“We can take it.” Yang replied, and Blake _recoiled_.

“What? Are you insane?” Blake hissed back, and Yang paused for a minute, only to grin more wildly and shrug a little, getting Ember Celica ready. The sounds of her gauntlets allowed the Alpha Beowolf to hear them and it whipped itself around in an instant, a roar escaping from it when it saw them standing there in the clearing.

“Maybe.” Yang replied, and before Blake could properly react, she shot herself forward.

“ _Yang!”_ Blake called desperately, but her partner was off, already shooting bullets at the massive creature, which reared towards her and roared again, ready to pounce on her.

Blake groaned and rushed forward, following her partner into the battle. The Alpha was looking at Yang, and it barely missed a swipe at her partner when Yang dodge-rolled out of the way. Blake huffed in frustration, but followed her partner’s lead as they met around the creature.

“Bumblebee!” Yang yelled, and Blake briefly hesitated.

“I am _not_ throwing you at that thing.”

“Blake, it’s our best move. We got this!” Yang encouraged, and Blake sighed heavily, before nodding and throwing Gambol to her partner. Yang caught it easily and readied her position. The Alpha had turned towards them both now, but just as it planned a lunge attack, Blake grunted and spun Yang around, lifting her up and launching her towards the creature.

Yang punched directly into its face, and it recoiled a bit, roaring in pain as she layered bullets into its face as well. Blake turned Gambol into its gun form and fired rounds at the creature as Yang descended to the ground again, landing perfectly on her feet.

The Alpha growled, but remained upright and just as angry. Yang stepped back, away from another swipe and Blake shot a few more rounds into its face, gaining its attention.

“I’ll distract it, you attack from behind.” Blake called to her, and Yang seemed to be hesitant with that plan, but they truly didn’t have a choice at that moment considering the thing looked directly at Blake with fire in it eyes.

It charged after her as she ran, and while letting her bullets fly back into it, she saw Yang charging up Ember Celica and shooting herself towards its back legs, laying punches down into them. The creature roared and stumbled onto its side on the ground.

“Nice!” Yang said, and Blake huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes. The Alpha growled again and shot up just as quickly as it had been taken down, and Blake saw the pounce aimed towards her.

“ _Blake!”_

She was shoved out of the way before she could react or even use her semblance, and she watched in horror as Yang was knocked away from her, her body hitting a tree and collapsing to the ground. Her aura flickered, but didn’t completely break, and she groaned in pain.

“Yang!” Blake yelled, staring with wide, worried eyes. The Alpha readied another attack, and Blake growled, twirling Gambol in her hand a few times before launching it at the creature’s side, embedding her blade into it. She ran and used the momentum to hoist herself up, flipping onto the back of the thing.

“Ugh!” She grunted when it tried to flip her off, but she gripped onto its fur with her hands, glancing over towards the tree where Yang was just now lifting herself up again, the pain clear on her face as she stood on her feet.

“A little help?!” She called to her, and Yang’s eyes shot to her basically _riding_ the fucking thing and despite the clear red gash on the side of her head, Yang nodded and readied herself, hair suddenly glowing bright and eyes turning red when she shot over to the Alpha.

Blake grunted again and held Gambol in her one hand, making sure to time her attack just right. When Yang got close enough, Blake plunged her blade deep into the neck of the creature just as Yang punched upwards into it, shooting bullets through its jaw at the same time.

The creature writhed and roared at the pain, and it successfully kicked Blake off its back, but she landed in Yang’s arms, both of them tumbling to the ground in a heap. Blake sat up quickly, readying Gambol in case it pounced again.

Thankfully, the damage was done, and although it wasn’t dead, the creature was deeply wounded. It let out whimpers of pain and stumbled around a little, before falling to the ground on its side, the impact sending birds flying out of the trees around them.

Blake and Yang sat next to each other, staring at the unconscious Grimm that nearly took _both_ of their lives. Blake’s chest heaved with adrenaline and fear at what just happened, and when she looked over to Yang-

Her partner was grinning, fire in her eyes and blood seeping from the wound on her head.

“Blake, _look_!” She said, scrambling to her feet and gesturing to the fallen Grimm. “We did it!”

“ _Yang_.” Blake interjected, disbelief in her tone. Yang returned her gaze, and whatever look Blake was sending her, it faltered her grin somewhat, her partner looking sheepish now.

“What?” Yang replied, and Blake sputtered, groaning a little and getting to her feet as well.

“That was… _Insane.”_ Blake said, and Yang blinked a few times, glancing over to the fallen Alpha before looking back at Blake. 

“We did it though.” Yang said, as if that’s all that mattered even though she was bleeding down the side of her face and her aura was most definitely low.

Blake felt the urge to pin her ears on her head, but the restriction of her bow prevented that from happening.

“And we almost _died._ Or at the very least, got sent to the hospital.” Blake replied with heat, motioning towards the wound on Yang’s head. Yang reached up and touched the blood, her fingers staining red, yet she just grinned back at Blake again.

“But _we did it_. I knew we would, because you’re the best partner I could ever ask for, Blake.” Yang said with a shine in her eyes. Blake blinked a few times, her mind trying to register what she just said, but Yang continued to talk. “We took down a freakin’ _Alpha Beowolf_ together. Wasn’t that thrill amazing?”

Blake shot her eyes over to the fallen creature, and she shook her head in disbelief.

“Blake.”

Yang’s voice brought her attention back, and she was much closer than she was before. Her eyes looked into hers with such trust and adoration that Blake had to take a minute to realise that it was truly aimed at her.

“I’m okay. _We’re_ okay. Was it stupid? Yes. Reckless? Hell yes. But it was _awesome_ , and we kicked ass together!” Yang said with excitement, and Blake truly couldn’t believe what she had gotten herself into with this blonde haired bombshell as her partner.

“I don’t want to die, Blake.” Yang said with a determined glint in her eye. “ I just wish I could live a little. Don’t you?”

Blake stared back at her for several minutes, mind going haywire at what the hell was happening. All she knew at the moment was that she was completely shaken, and Yang really needed to see a doctor about that wound on her head.

“We… _Did_ kick ass.” Blake finally relented, and Yang beamed at her, but before she could get carried away, Blake grabbed her arm and began dragging her away from the fallen Alpha, back towards the academy. “Please, just… Don’t do something like that again without warning, okay?”

“No promises!” Yang said in a lighthearted tone, and Blake sighed deeply, shaking her head.

This girl would truly be the death of her one day.


	32. You Make Me Want to Live (Frozen Steel)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "you make me want to live."
> 
> premise: at the end of volume 7 when everyone is on the airship and ruby, weiss and penny are all cuddled up together

Penny was the maiden now.

_She was the Winter Maiden now._

That thought continued to run rampant in her mind, the chaos of the past few hours overwhelming her to the point where she could feel herself wanting to shut down - in every sense of the word - and give herself away. Give these powers to someone that deserved them, that could be the hero that Mantle and Atlas deserved.

She wasn’t sure if that was her, anymore.

She was brought of her dark thoughts when two arms linked themselves through her own, making her jump a little in surprise. She shot her eyes to the two people, blinking when she saw the genuine, comforting smiles of Ruby and Weiss as they leaned into her, their bodies providing warmth that she desperately needed right now.

They leaned their heads against hers on either side, and she found herself smiling, despite the doubts in her mind.

“You holding up okay?” Ruby asked, squeezing her hand around her bicep and pulling her head away to look at her. She felt Weiss caressing her other arm with her thumb, her head still pressed against her.

Penny let out a soft sigh.

“I… Am okay.” Penny replied, but the frown on Ruby’s lips indicated that it wasn’t convincing in the slightest. She felt Weiss pull her head away now and she glanced over to her, seeing the soft look in her blue eyes.

“You went through a lot.” Weiss said softly, and Ruby hummed in agreement. “If you’re not okay… Just know, we’re all here for you.” Weiss sent her a gentle smile, as did Ruby when she glanced to her, and she felt a weird sensation in the pit of her stomach. It confused her for a moment, but chose to ignore it for the time being, jumping back into the conversation.

“I feel…” Penny paused for a second, slumping her shoulders and leaning back against the wall of the airship, Ruby and Weiss following her and maintaining their gentle touches on both of her arms. “That I am undeserving of these powers.”

She looked down at her hands in her lap, too afraid to look into the eyes of her companions. They didn’t force her to look at them, but both of them grasped a hand each and squeezed comfortingly.

“Penny.” Ruby said. “No one else is as deserving as you.”

Penny whipped her head up in alarm, but all she saw were gentle smiles and encouraging looks - not even just from Ruby and Weiss, but from Blake and Yang too, who were close enough to overhear some of the conversation.

“But… They were not meant for me. They were meant for…” Penny trailed off, guilt overcoming her expression when her eyes found Weiss’. Weiss looked back at her, her comforting expression faltering slightly at the implication. Penny felt the guilt spreading throughout her chest and she wished she could take it back - take everything back and correct the wrongs.

But it was too late now, and they all knew that.

She pursed her lips and sighed, the despair overruling the thoughts in her mind, breathing out what was plaguing her ever since the election party, where everything had truly started to go downhill.

“I wonder… If I am a mistake.” Penny said softly - brokenly.

“Hey.” Weiss suddenly said, soft and careful, but it caught Penny’s attention anyway. She was smiling at her again, although it was sad, and she reached out to lay a hand on her cheek, the gloved material soft against her. Penny blinked, and when Ruby’s arm wrapped around her back, that same feeling gnawed in the pit of her stomach.

“My sister wasn’t ready for these powers.” Weiss stated, and Penny furrowed her eyebrows, a protest on her tongue until Weiss continued. “She may think so, because _Ironwood_ chose her for it. But Fria gave them to you because she saw something in you.”

“She’s right.” Ruby piped in, Penny leaning back a little to look between the both of them, their smiles never wavering towards her. “Maybe they came as an accident, and maybe you just so happened to get there at the right time. But that doesn’t mean Fria did this lightly.” Ruby reached up a hand to lay against her head, threading her fingers into her hair gently, beginning to caress the strands.

“You protect people, Penny. You fight for them, and you’re stronger than you think.” Ruby continued. “You are _not_ a mistake. You’re a person, and your life is just as important as anyone else’s. Even if things aren’t going the best right now.” Ruby said the last bit awkwardly, chuckling a little and rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand.

A person?

Penny blinked a few times, unsure of herself. But Weiss continued on from where Ruby left off.

“Things will be okay.” Weiss said, returning her arm to loop through Penny’s, Ruby doing the same. “We’re all together, now, and we know you’ll use the powers better than anyone else could have. And we’ll be here to help you.”

Penny swallowed thickly and looked between the two people at her side, both of them just as understanding and comforting as always. It… Warmed her insides, making her feel so many things at once. She recognised many of these feelings - trust, friendship, love.

“Okay.” Penny finally said, and Ruby and Weiss beamed at her, pressing into her sides. “I… Am still unsure about these powers. I still feel… Unworthy.” Penny started, but before either of them could interject, she continued. “But… I have a duty to help the people. And I can’t do that if I am shut down. It is not an option anymore.”

Penny tightened her hold around Ruby and Weiss’ arms that were looped through hers, and she nodded once.

“You… Make me want to live.” Penny uttered, and Ruby and Weiss glanced to each other with unreadable expressions, but soon looked to Penny again, soft smiles on both of their faces.

“No.” Weiss said, fondness lacing her tone.

“You live for yourself, Penny.” Ruby finished, leaning her head against hers. “And we’ll live by you, as long as possible.”

Weiss returned her head to its position against hers on the other side again, and their words washed over her and settled in her mind, and in her soul. She smiled a little and hummed pleasantly, allowing the warmth and comfort of her companions to lull her into a sense of relaxation.

Yes, she decided.

She would live, and she would do what she thought was right, alongside the most important people in her life.

She would live for _her_.


	33. You'll Be Safe Soon (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "i don't care what happens to me, as long as you're safe."
> 
> premise: post volume 3 with blake staying with ruby and yang in patch for a little while longer before she decides to dip

Blake breathed out shakily as she watched Taiyang lay Yang down in her bed. She was out like a light for the time being, as was Ruby in her own bed in the other room.

Her eyes lowered to the bandages around Yang’s arm - or, where it _used_ to be, the image of Yang launching herself at Adam playing again and again in her mind, the wound on her hip throbbing with each painful memory of the entire ordeal.

“Hey.”

Taiyang’s voice was soft, and Blake shook herself out of her reverie. She looked up at him, realising he was standing in front of her now with a hand on her shoulder and Yang tucked into her bed just behind him. Blake swallowed thickly, pushing down the bubbling of tears as she observed his features - worn out and tired, a melancholic air around him, yet he was still trying to be comforting towards her.

She didn’t deserve that.

“She’s going to be okay.” Tai said, squeezing her shoulder before pulling away. He sighed wearily. “You should rest too. And when you guys wake up tomorrow, I’ll make everyone the fluffiest pancakes in all of Remnant.”

Blake breathed out a laugh at the lighthearted statement, Tai smiling softly at her before he brushed past her, patting her shoulder one last time as he went.

The door clicked behind her when he left, and it left her alone with her thoughts as her gaze returned to Yang on the bed, still shut off from the world and everything that transpired just hours ago.

She shuddered at the memory of Adam kneeling over her, his words cold and unrelenting, determined and desperate to take control over her _again_ and ruin the good things she’d built for herself these past months.

His vow to destroy everything she loved… And then Yang…

Blake clenched her jaw and shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. This was all her fault - if she had never left Adam, had never enrolled at Beacon, had never let her guard down and allowed him to-

“Ugh…”

Blake shot her head up, quickly wiping her tears away. Her heart sped up as Yang shuffled on the bed, her lilac eyes flickering open and looking around to get her bearings. Blake wasn’t sure what to do, in that moment - she wanted to run, she wanted to sneak out of there as fast as possible so Yang didn’t have to see her, didn’t have to be reminded of what she sacrificed for her or how much her past came back to bite them both.

She didn’t deserve that sacrifice. It was her burden that brought this on Yang - on all of her teammates.

Her heart sank when she stepped backwards a little, attempting to open the door and leave before Yang saw her. But, she waited a bit too long, because Yang groaned in pain when she tried moving her arm, her eyes slowly moving towards where Blake was standing near the door.

“Blake?” Yang rasped, and despite her better judgement, that was all it took for Blake to rush to her side.

“ _Yang_.” She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her eyes wide open and most of the colour back in her cheeks. Her eyes locked on hers as she sat on the bed next to her, a relieved smile overtaking her partner’s lips.

“Hey.” Yang replied, coughing a little after. “Thank Gods… You’re okay.”

Blake furrowed her eyebrows at her partner, sputtering in shock.

“ _I’m_ okay?” Blake said, her ears desperately wanting to pin themselves down underneath the bow still situated on her head. “Yang, you… _Lost_ your arm.”

Yang sighed deeply and looked down at the bandages encasing the stump of her right arm. Blake watched as she reached out with her left hand to graze the material, before shaking her head and looking back up to Blake. She reached out her left hand and laid it over Blake’s that was pressed into the mattress, Blake’s cheeks warming up.

“And I would do it again.” Yang said softly, and Blake felt those tears threatening to come out yet again, her stomach turning itself inside out at the unwavering loyalty in Yang’s eyes. Loyalty and trust she never deserved in the first place.

She was here, like this, because of her actions. 

“I’m so sorry.” Blake finally said, voice coming out shaky and small as she glanced away from her. Yang made a noise and tried to shift closer to her, but failed due to the pain. Instead, she gritted her teeth and squeezed Blake’s hand tightly, getting her to look into her eyes again. 

“Stop.” Yang replied, but Blake _couldn’t._ She couldn’t stop the flow of words that came out of her, desperate to get Yang to _understand_.

“I’m just- I’m _sorry_. This is all my fault- if it weren’t for me, this wouldn’t have happened to you.” Blake struggled to get the words out, a tear travelling down her cheek. “He- he _wanted_ this. He _wanted_ you to throw yourself at him, and you just- _did_.” Blake said the last bit in disbelief, shaking her head.

“Blake.” Yang cut in with a soft yet firm tone, and Blake sniffled, reaching up to wipe her own tears away. She met Yang’s soft gaze, her lilac eyes open and honest as she lifted her left hand, cupping Blake’s cheek. Blake took a few shaky breaths, leaning into the gentle touch.

“You’re my partner. You’re… My best friend.” Yang muttered softly, her eyes flashing with an unreadable emotion. “I wasn’t going to let him hurt you. I don’t care what happens to me, as long as you’re safe.”

Blake physically recoiled from her, her hand falling from her cheek and into Blake’s lap. Blake narrowed her eyes at her.

“Don’t say that.” Blake replied, and Yang chuckled a little - no humour in it, but her eyes stayed firmly on Blake’s.

“I don’t regret it.” Yang said. “You’re safe. And we’re… Here, together, and that’s what matters.” Yang’s voice turned softer.

Blake shook her head a little, the guilt and pain weighing down on her shoulders becoming more and more heavy as every minute passed. Yang shouldn’t be saying that - Yang shouldn’t be the one incapacitated on the bed, her _arm_ gone, all because she cared about her. All because Adam was threatened, and took it upon himself to ruin this beautiful, bold, shining star that deserved so much better than her.

“You didn’t deserve any of this.” Blake muttered, and Yang sighed again.

“You don’t get to decide what I deserve, Blake.” Yang replied gently, and her heart clenched with pain when she smiled at her again, seemingly no care in the world. “I’m okay, and he’s gone now. And when we wake up tomorrow, there will be fluffy pancakes waiting for us. So… Get some rest, please.”

Her voice turned a bit sleepy at the end, her fatigue creeping up on her. Blake glanced all over her face as she eyes started to droop.

Blake watched her struggle to stay awake for another moment, her heart cracking in her chest at what she was planning to do next - what had been in her mind their entire airship ride back to Patch.

“You’re right.” Blake mumbled, and Yang let out a small hum in acknowledgement, eyes closing. “You’re okay.”

Yang’s lips curled into a soft smile, and she vaguely nodded, and soon enough, her breathing evened out and she fell back asleep, relaxing into her pillows.

Blake watched over her for a few seconds longer, but she knew what she had to do. She knew that in order to keep Yang, and her teammates safe, there was really only one thing she _could_ do.

Because Yang was wrong. Adam may have left, but he would always come back. He would always search for her, no matter where she went.

And as she walked over to the window in Yang’s bedroom, opening it up and swinging herself over the ledge, she vowed not to have him find her anywhere near her team.

It broke her heart, but she had no other choice. She had to go, to make sure Adam would never do this to anyone she cared about ever again.

They’d be safer now.

And that’s all that mattered.


	34. Stay With Me (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "you can stay with me tonight."
> 
> premise: saphron and terra's house in volume 6 when they're staying there

Blake watched from her spot on the couch in Saphron and Terra’s home as everyone started breaking apart, dealing with sleeping arrangements. There were a lot of them, and not a lot of space, so of course Ruby took it upon herself to assign people where to sleep in the most “leaderly” way possible (her words, not Blake’s).

“So, we have two couches here, two guest bedrooms upstairs, and a couple of sleeping bags to lay out on the floor.” Ruby said, pacing in the middle of the room and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Blake’s ears flicked and an amused smirk graced her features when she saw her thinking _really_ hard, trying to make things work for everyone.

“I’m getting one of the beds. This is not a debate.” Maria announced, already shuffling her way towards the staircase. Ruby blinked and spun around to her retreating form.

“Someone needs to share with you!” Ruby called desperately, and Maria scoffed.

“Whoever is willing to share with me will gladly have a spot.” Maria said, amusement lacing her tone as she began climbing the steps. Ruby whined and looked around at everyone, and although Blake had started to like Maria and respect her, she was _not_ going to sleep next to her in a bed.

A sigh escaped from Jaune’s mouth and he raised his hand, walking towards the staircase. 

“I’ll share.” He relented, and Ruby sagged with relief. She sent him a thumbs up and he chuckled awkwardly, going to ascend the stairs.

“Thanks Jaune!” Ruby said cheerfully. She then turned to everyone else and gazed at them, lingering on Blake for a second, then her eyes shifted to Yang, who was leaning against the wall behind the couch Blake was seated on. Ruby hummed in thought, then suddenly spun to Weiss and pointed at her, startling the ex-heiress slightly.

“Weiss and I will share a couch, Oscar can have the other couch, Ren and Nora will have sleeping bags, and Yang and Blake share the other room!” Ruby said with a triumphant smile, looking at everyone to see any objections.

Blake’s eyes widened and her ears sprang up on her head, her hands raising a bit in a defensive stance.

“I... I can take the floor too. It’s no problem, if someone... Else wants to take the bed.” Blake said, voice turning softer at the end. She was very much aware of Yang’s eyes on the back of her head from behind her, and although the thought of being so close to Yang thrilled her and was something she desperately wanted after dealing with the Apathy, she wasn’t going to make Yang sleep next to her if she wasn’t ready for that.

“But... My system.” Ruby pouted, and Blake flushed at her leader’s disappointment, clearing her throat. Blake’s eye caught Qrow just coming in from outside, and she motioned towards him.

“Your uncle needs somewhere to sleep too.” Blake offered, and Ruby looked over to her uncle, brightening when she saw him despite the clear stagger in his walk.

“Oh! Okay, that’s perfect then! Uncle Qrow and Yang upstairs, Blake, Ren, and Nora in sleeping bags.”

Qrow blinked a few times, clearly a bit out of it still, but once he registered what Ruby said, he chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to ruffle Ruby’s hair. She whined and batted his hand away.

“Nice try, kid. But, last time I shared a space with your sister, her chainsaw snoring kept me awake the whole night.” Qrow said with a smirk, and Blake heard the indignant, defensive shout from Yang behind her.

“I’ve gotten better!” Yang said, and Blake found a smile creeping onto her face at that. Qrow chuckled again and raised his flask, taking a hearty swig and then beginning to shuffle his way towards the other side of the house, away from everyone.

“Sure, sure.” Qrow said. “But I’ll find a place to sleep. Don’t worry about me.”

Ruby groaned and flopped down onto the couch she was planning to share with Weiss, who was already sitting there and looking quite pleased with the arrangements so far.

“Yang can just sleep alone.” Weiss offered, and Yang sighed from behind her, and she could only imagine she was rolling her eyes.

“Or, I can take the floor and someone else can take the bed. I don’t need it.” Yang said, and Ruby shot her eyes up to look at her, eyes going just above Blake’s head.

“No!” Ruby protested. “You drove Bumblebee all the way here with all of us in that cart. You deserve a comfy place to rest.”

Everyone murmured in agreement, and it was then Blake decided to turn her head to look back at her partner, who was still leaning against the wall. When she did, Yang’s eyes slowly shifted to her, and Blake felt her breath hitch when those lilac eyes lingered on her for several seconds.

Yang pursed her lips then and pushed herself off the wall. She walked a bit closer to Blake, catching her off guard.

“It’s okay.” Yang said, soft but sure, and Blake wondered if she was talking to everyone or just her in that moment. “Blake and I can share.”

Blake blinked several times, ears lowering a bit on her head as she tried to process that. Ruby seemed thankful that her system had worked out, at least, and did a happy cheer.

“But...” Blake trailed off, and Yang maintained their eye contact, letting out a tentative smile. 

“You can stay with me tonight.” Yang stated, a light pink hue on her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck. It thoroughly caught Blake off guard even more, slight shock on her face. Yang cleared her throat, and before Blake could say anything else, Ruby cut into their conversation and brought her attention back to her leader.

“Great! Let’s sleep now, I’m tired.” Ruby whined, flopping onto her back on the couch. Weiss huffed and pushed at her body to get her to squish herself against the back of the couch, mumbling about ‘taking up too much space’ and Ruby mumbling back ‘You’re tiny anyway’.

Blake watched them struggle for a second, but ultimately settled in with Weiss’ arms around her waist and snuggled together, and Oscar stood just near her, waiting for the couch. Blake flushed and shot off the couch, smiling apologetically at him as he settled in. Ren and Nora laid on the floor of the living room, their sleeping bags right next to each other in order to have their arms around each other.

She slowly met Yang’s eyes, and her partner sent her another small smile. She made her way around the couch and towards the stairs, but Blake was rooted to the spot, eyes following her every move until she stopped near the stairs, looking back at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Comin’?” Yang said, and it spurred Blake into action, her ears drooping with embarrassment as she nodded. She followed after Yang and ascended the stairs with her, her heartbeat speeding up the closer they got to the guest bedroom they were assigned to.

Once that happened, and the door clicked shut behind the both of them, Blake’s heart almost stopped beating entirely when she saw that while yes, there was a a bed in there, which she expected, it was made even more complicated when they realised it was a _single bed_ , and most definitely not a double.

“Um...” Yang stuttered out next to her, clearing her throat. “Gonna be a tight fit.”

Blake appreciated her attempt at humour, but it just served to make her feel even more awkward than she already was.

“Yeah, um...” Blake looked around on the floor, seeing enough space for her to lay out with at least a pillow and blanket. “I can... Take the floor-”

“No!” Yang interrupted, her ears flicking at the urgent tone to her voice, which caused her to look at her in bewilderment. Yang flushed a deep red and rubbed the back of her head, looking away from her. “Um, I mean... Look, it’s okay with me, if it’s okay with you.”

Blake blinked at her, cheeks heating up, but when Yang met her eyes again, and found herself nodding slightly, swallowing thickly.

“Okay.” Blake replied, and Yang smiled with softness, lilac eyes glinting with something unnamed as she approached the bed, slipping off her boots next to it and shucking her jacket off. Blake froze, but forced her eyes to settle on a spot on the wall as Yang got herself comfortable on the bed.

“You gonna sleep standing up like a weirdo, or come over here?”

She jumped at Yang’s voice, full of amusement and a teasing glint in her eye now when Blake almost stumbled over herself to get closer to the bed. Yang didn’t take much off of her, thank the Gods, but was still only in her orange tank top and black pants, quite a bit of skin that Blake had seen countless times before, but...

Look, it was just different this time.

Blake took a breath and began shucking off her own jacket and shoes, pointedly ignoring the gaze Yang had on her, which made her skin feel hot and prickling with tingles.

Once she was done, she climbed into the small bed, every part of her pressing against Yang even if she tried to give her as much space as possible. It was definitely a tight fit, but Yang let out a breath when she finally settled under the blankets with her.

“Comfortable?” Yang asked, genuine hope in her voice, and Blake simply nodded, even though being on her back this way was already cramping up her left arm and the other half of her body was close to falling off.

“You?” Blake replied, and there was a pause from her partner, which prompted her to look her way, turning her head.

Yang was on her right side, gazing at her with soft lilac orbs and _Gods_ , Blake truly didn’t deserve to be anywhere in her presence at the moment, with those eyes looking at her that way and her body pressed against her and everything in her mind going _Yang, Yang, Yang._

“Kinda. But, um, can I just...” Yang tripped over her words a little, but made her request clear when she lifted her arm under the blanket, her fleshy fingers grazing the skin peeking through between her crop top and pants. She jumped a little at the goosebumps left in their wake, but understood what Yang was asking for.

Blake licked her lips and flicked her eyes up to Yang’s again, the nervousness on her face shown quite clearly. She wanted to scream ‘yes’ at the top of her lungs right in her face, wanted to press _all_ of her against her and snuggle into the warmth she provided. But she held back, biting her tongue and going with a different approach.

“Only if... If you’re comfortable with it.” Blake replied, gentle and soft, and Yang let out a small smile. Without much more hesitation from her, her arm snaked around her waist and encouraged her to move onto her left side, which was _much_ more comfortable, their chests pressing together and their noses inches apart and _oh fuck_.

“Definitely.” Yang whispered in the minimal space between their lips, breath fanning out over hers and she couldn’t stop the shudder that travelled through her body. Her eyes flicked all over Yang’s face and her ears slowly drooped on her head as she relaxed.

Her apprehension must have still been on her face, though, and with Yang so close, she was able to catch the doubt in her eyes.

“I’m still... Working through things.” Yang said, her nose bumping against hers when she shifted just the tiniest bit. “And it’s... Confusing, and I don’t know what any of it means, but...” Yang bit her bottom lip and chewed on it for a second, and Blake instinctively placed her own arm around Yang’s waist, her partner humming appreciatively. “But... Back there, at Brunswick...” She trailed off again, and Blake shuddered again at the memory of what happened there.

“I know.” Blake replied, and Yang looked at her with pained eyes.

“If Ruby hadn’t used her eyes, or whatever, you wouldn’t be...” Yang suddenly got choked up, and it startled her, her ears raising in alarm and she tightened her hold on her waist. Yang shook her head and sucked back her emotions, clearing her throat. “You might not be here right now and as pissed off as I was with you for so long, I _never_ want to lose you again now that you’re here.”

Blake’s heart doubled in speed at that, and she feared Yang had heard it or felt it. But she said nothing about it, if she did, and Yang curled her arm tighter around her to pull her more flush against her body, Blake’s ears flicking on her head.

“So, don’t worry about... What I’m working through.” Yang reassured her softly, and Blake studied her face as she continued to say, “We’ll be okay. I promise.”

And despite some of her worries and doubts, despite hearing those words back on the Argus and Yang seemingly not believing them herself, for some reason, she believed her now. She believed they _were_ okay, or getting there, and Yang seemed to believe it this time, and that was enough for her for now.

Blake released a breath and nodded at her partner, and the smile she received in return made everything worth it in the end.

“We’re okay.” She echoed back to her, and Yang nodded, finally closing her eyes as sleep seemed to overtake her. Blake gazed at her face for another moment longer, until she felt her own fatigue settling over her as well, her eyes sliding shut.

No matter what happened next, she wouldn’t run away again. She would stay by Yang’s side, always. And they’d be okay, in the end.

She would keep her promise.


	35. when my heartbeat stops (will you stay mine?) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "you're bleeding - how long have you been hiding this?" and someone mentioned giving blake an unsurvivable wound so...
> 
> premise: a made up scenario for volume 8 where team rwby and team jnor/ornj with a functioning nora fight salems minions within the whale grimm.
> 
> chapter title is from "afterlife" by hailee steinfeld
> 
> PLEASE BE AWARE THERE IS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS ONE SHOT AND ALSO BLOOD AND INJURY SO IF THOSE AREN'T YOUR THING PLEASE CLICK AWAY AND ALSO SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 8 CHAPTER 6

It was chaos.

Atlas was falling apart - literally, and they had barely no time to react to it. Grimm burrowed into the ground and Salem’s monstrous Whale Grimm parked itself right on Atlas’ doorstep, more and more Grimm pouring out and flooding the city.

Yang’s group had tagged along with the Ace-Ops, albeit reluctantly, to return to Atlas to help deal with the invasion. Once they arrived, it didn’t take long to reunite with her team at Schnee Manor, after dialing Ruby to confirm where they were.

There were a lot of hugs, a lot of relieved smiles and happy tears, especially from Blake and Yang as they held each other, whispering into each other’s ears about being worried and hoping they were okay.

But the serenity didn’t last long - Salem continued to advance and the team had no other choice but to defend, and now, Yang found herself inside a fucking Whale Grimm on the edge of Atlas and her team going head to head with Salem’s minions.

Blake and Yang, amongst the chaos, somehow got broken off from the rest of their team. That left them to deal with Tyrian and Mercury, and Salem nowhere to be found inside this monstrosity as they battled, dealing blows back and forth as best they could.

Tyrian cackled maniacally as he advanced on Blake, and although Yang had to dodge a roundhouse kick from Mercury, she did so and shot to Blake’s side, allowing her to grab Gambol Shroud and spin around, using Bumblebee to whack Tyrian in the face.

He stumbled back a little, but continued to laugh in that dark, evil way of his.

“I got this!” Blake called to her, and Yang wanted to protest, wanted to back her up in this - Tyrian was unpredictable, unhinged and there was no telling what he would do to her. But Yang had her own battle to deal with, and Mercury reminded of that with a swift kick to her side, causing her to grunt with pain and whirl around to face him, blocking a few more hits.

“Remember how we fought at Beacon?” Mercury said darkly, smirk on his lips when Yang’s eyes flashed with anger in response. “How you attacked poor old me, unprovoked-”

Yang growled and shot forward with her gauntlet, reeling back and swiftly landing a punch into Mercury’s side, leaving him stumbling back and wheezing a little as a result. He recovered quickly and began spinning and kicking, but Yang was smarter - stronger this time, and she blocked and dodged every hit. She grabbed onto one of his legs and flipped him over onto the ground, right on his back and stepped over him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.

“I remember you framing me.” Yang growled in his face, and he simply smirked at her, but she put an end to that by knocking him in the face with her forehead, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

A cry from behind alerted her to Blake, and she whipped around, seeing Tyrian’s tail wrapped around one of Blake’s arms, Gambol Shroud clattering to the ground. Yang’s heart sank and she shot forward, catching Tyrian off guard with a swift punch to the side of his face.

He cried out in pain and stumbled over, his tail unwrapping from Blake and allowing her to hold onto Gambol properly again. He was soon up again, and the partners stood next to each other, readying their weapons.

She saw Blake stagger a little in the corner of her eye, but before she could ask if she was okay, Tyrian giggled and sprinted towards them with his weapons drawn, maniacal gleam in his eye.

He threw his little blades at them simultaneously, but Blake and Yang blocked them easily. He flipped over them and caught them in an instant, his tail wrapping around Yang’s arm in the process and causing her to stumble.

“Yang!” Blake shouted, and Yang grunted, struggling against the tail’s grip. Tyrian laughed again and sent her flying away, her back hitting the wall of the inside of the Whale. She fell down and let out a painful sound as she hit the ground, breath being knocked out of her briefly.

“Oh, itsy, bitsy, bees. Hehehehe.” Tyrian giggled as he blocked Blake’s hit to his side, her blade just missing his skin. “So weak, so helpless.”

He threw a kick to Blake’s face, but she used a copy of herself to dodge out of the way and round behind him, raising her blade to stab his back. Yang got herself up as she saw Tyrian block the hit with his tail, and once Blake was staggered, he wrapped around Gambol and shoved it back into her.

“Blake!” Her name was wrenched out of Yang’s throat, rough and desperate as she saw her partner be thrown away, just as she was. She scrambled to her feet just as Tyrian stood over Blake, his tail outstretched, about to plunge it into her body.

Yang yelled and shot over to him, ramming into his back and sending them both flying, barely hearing the cries of pain over the thrumming of her heart in her ears as Tyrian flopped onto his back, grunts of pain escaping him.

Yang shook herself out of it and desperately got back up, Tyrian still on his back, and began wailing punches on him, some boosted by Ember Celica and others just her raw energy. He became so bloody and bruised that she didn’t recognise him, and despite his efforts to raise his tail or fight back, Yang activated her semblance and punched down on his mechanical tail, burying it inside the fleshy ground of the Whale, trapping him for the time being.

Yang’s chest heaved for several seconds before she calmed down, her semblance deactivating. She immediately looked over to her partner, but found that she was already up and about, looking a bit broken and dishevelled, but relatively okay.

Yang rushed to her and enveloped her in a hug, closing her eyes tightly and cupping the back of her head. Blake chuckled weakly into her ear, but Yang felt tears prick her eyes.

“Thank Gods you’re okay.” Yang breathed out shakily, and Blake hummed, her one arm circling around her back in an attempt at a hug.

“It’s okay.” Blake replied, which Yang thought was a weird response, but shrugged it off and pulled away from her, letting out a soft smile.

“We need to find the others.” Yang said, and Blake simply nodded, and with a little help from Yang due to her staggering a little still, they limped through the several winding corridors of the Whale, searching for their team.

It took them several twists and turns, with Blake growing heavy against Yang’s side every ten steps, but Yang brushed it off as tiredness and sore muscles from their fight with Tyrian. She eventually heard sounds of fighting not far off from them, and quickly sped up, Blake whimpering in pain as she did so.

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, we’ll be with them soon.” Yang tried to reassure her, and Blake winced, but ultimately tried to smile at her and nod her head.

They came across an open door that lead into a larger room, mostly devoid of anything minus the rest of the gang finishing up their fights, and Yang was even relieved to see Oscar was there, too, helping Ruby fight Cinder with his cane.

As Blake and Yang stumbled into the open room, Yang attempted to pull away from her to get into the fight, but the minute she did, Blake collapsed into her side, startling her and making her whip her head over to look at her. Blake’s amber eyes were dimmed, looking dull and grey instead of vibrant and although Yang could hear the sounds of the fight retreating, her team clearly overtaking their enemies, all Yang cared about was Blake sinking to the ground next to her. Yang knelt down at her side, eyes and movements frantic.

“Blake?” Yang spoke with a shaky, scared voice at the sight of her partner. Blake coughed slightly and looked up at her from the ground, shaky smile on her bloody lips.

“’m sorry.” Blake wheezed, and Yang whimpered at the broken sound, gathering Blake up in her arms. She quickly glanced around the room to assess the situation, and was relieved to find that her teammates and friends were okay, their enemies laid out on the ground in heaps, defeated for now.

Ruby and Weiss looked over at her cradling Blake and their eyes widened, rushing over, followed by Ren, Jaune, Nora and Oscar as well.

“Blake?” Weiss said in a strained voice, falling to her knees on the other side of her. Ruby followed suit and knelt beside Weiss, Blake’s eyes half-lidded as she looked up at everyone.

“Blake, wha-” Yang started, but she quickly clamped her mouth shut when she realised.

A bloody, red patch was seeping through Blake’s pristine white coat and Yang’s heart ached, it fell to pieces as she ripped open the coat, a gasp escaping her lips at the sight of a gaping hole through her leather suit, just near her heart and mountains of blood seeping out.

“Blake... Blake, you're _bleeding_. How long have you been hiding this?!” A lump formed in Yang’s throat as she flicked her eyes up to Blake’s, her amber orbs almost closed. Blake’s throat bobbed and she weakly reached out to Yang’s hand, and Yang enveloped hers in her own, squeezing tightly.

"Fight with-with Tyrian..." Blake said around coughs, and Yang held onto her hand like a lifeline, squeezing desperately.

 _"Blake."_ Yang said, heart constricting painfully in her chest. "Why didn't you say anything?!" Her voice was firm, but desperate and tears formed in her eyes at the weak smile her partner offered her, and an equally weak shrug.

"Too late." Blake replied weakly, and Yang shook her head immediately. She shot her eyes up to her other teammates, and both Ruby and Weiss' eyes were welled up with tears, their hands locked together with Blake's other hand at her side. Yang sucked back her sobs and looked to Jaune next, eyes wild.

"Jaune. Come on, your semblance..." Yang trailed off when Blake squeezed her hand again - much weaker than the last, and she ignored the crestfallen look on Jaune's face at the situation before looking back to Blake, her eyes looking straight up into hers with major difficulty.

"His tail- it... it-it got me before-before you knocked him away." Blake struggled to get it out, her breaths becoming more staggered and painful, and Yang felt tears stream down her cheeks, shaking her head at what her partner was saying.

"No, no, no, I- I got there in time, I shoved him away." Yang's tears were flowing freely now, a few of the droplets slipping from her face and onto Blake's, whose tears also travelled down her cheeks, mixing in with hers.

"... Hit... Hit me as you shoved him." Blake's voice was gradually getting softer, and Yang wiped furiously at her eyes before leaning over Blake, gathering her up in her arms and laying her in her lap, heartbeat and eyes wild and full of despair.

"It's okay, it's okay." Yang chanted, her hand shaky as she tucked stray hairs behind Blake's ear and looked down at her. She glanced at everyone else, their faces broken and tears easily flowing down everyone's faces. She looked to Jaune, and he looked back at her with a look that suggested she wasn't going to be happy with what he said next.

"I-I don't know... I don't..." Jaune stumbled over his words and Yang tightened her grip on Blake's frail body, eyes flashing red and hair igniting just slightly.

" _Jaune_." Yang growled through her teeth, and he knelt quickly, hands shaking as he held them over Blake's body, clenching his teary eyes shut and channelling his aura as best he could.

"Yang."

Blake's voice was a quiet rasp, now, and Yang shook her head as she looked down at her. Blake smiles shakily up at her and weakly reached up, her fingers briefly brushing her cheek before falling back down, the movement too much for her. Yang sniffled and glanced back to Jaune, who was trying his best, but Blake's aura wasn't being amplified, nothing was happening and her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Why isn't it _working_? It worked for Weiss!" Yang yelled in dismay, and she shot her eyes to Weiss, who snapped her eyes up to her in return, with Ruby wrapping an arm around her partner to comfort her. She saw Jaune open his eyes and look to her, so she glanced his way, his expression downtrodden.

"He must- must have had... Something on his tail, maybe it's rejecting me." Jaune replied, and Yang's ears started ringing, her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

It wasn't happening. It _wasn't_ , no, Blake would be fine, they'll pick her up, get her to a proper healer, she'd-

"Yang."

It was Ruby this time, and she whipped her head to her sister across Blake's body. Her silver eyes were cracked and marred with red from her overflow of tears, and she and Weiss reached over to her, laying a hand each on her arms. They looked at her like this was the end and trying to keep it together for her, her partner and best friend and... and...

And _something else_ she never got to explore, dying in her fucking arms and she felt her stomach flipping and turning and sizzling anger beneath the surface and fatigue and weakness seeping into her bones.

Blake's breaths were few and far between, now, and everyone around her was expecting what was happening next. Blake rasped in her arms, the blood continuing to drench through her clothes and onto Yang's hands, her own clothes, the floor. It was everywhere and filling her vision and she couldn't take it, couldn't deal with the downright terrible ache in her heart when she flitted her eyes back to Blake's, which were fighting to stay open as she looked up at her.

Blake cracked her bloody lips open.

"Please kiss me." Blake wheezed, and Yang was momentarily startled at the request, but the desperation in Blake's weak voice and the remaining light in her eyes caused her to act, no thought or hesitation about it when she leaned forward and sealed their lips together.

It was weak - it was metallic in taste and not the passionate, beautiful, desperate kiss she always imagined with her. There was barely any pressure from Blake's end, but she was still there, she was there and their lips slotted together softly as if they had finally found their home and Yang _sobbed_ into her mouth, Blake swallowing up a few of them despite the addition of the salt of Yang's tears. Despite the circumstances, her body still warmed from head to toe at the feeling of Blake's lips finally on hers after all this time, and stars danced behind her eyes when Blake managed to weakly lick on her bottom lip, but pulled away shortly after, her body practically limp in Yang's arms.

Yang's body shook as she stared down at her, the tiniest smile at the corner of Blake's lips.

"I couldn't..." Blake trailed off to cough. "Couldn't go... Without finally kiss- kissing you." Blake's eyes fluttered shut, and Yang made a noise of protest, reaching up to cup both of her cheeks.

"Blake." Yang called to her desperately, and for just another moment longer, Blake's eyes opened a crack. Yang pressed their foreheads together and looked directly into her eyes.

"I love you." Yang breathed out, and Blake's breath hitched just slightly but Yang couldn't tell if it was in response to her confession, or if the act was becoming even more difficult for her in these last moments.

Blake's throat bobbed as she swallowed and she flicked her eyes over to everyone else in the room, reaching out a hand weakly to Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar. Everybody knelt down next to her, Ruby and Weiss laying their foreheads against the side of Blake's head, while Yang remained pressed against her forehead. Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar laid their hands on her arm, and Blake shuddered out a few breaths, looking around at them all before returning her eyes to Yang.

"I love you too." Blake said. "So much." 

Yang held her against her, the rest of their friends pressing close to them both as Blake's breathing began to dissipate, began to sound barely there and just as she drew her final breath, she said:

"I'll-I'll miss... You dorks... So much." She wheezed out, her eyes sliding shut for the last time. "I love... You all..."

And she slumped in Yang's arms.

Yang screamed. She wailed, and pressed her close to her, but nothing changed. Blake remained the same, and even as the rest of the gang gathered around her and comforted each other, that fact remained.

She was gone.

And Yang was left alone, again, and her heart seized in her chest as she sobbed.

"You said you wouldn't break your promise." Yang finally said, soft and broken against Blake's forehead, and whether the others heard her or not, she didn't care. She didn't care if her sobs alerted other enemies, she didn't care about the faces on everyone else. She didn't care.

She sat. And she sobbed.

All the while her heart shattered into pieces.


	36. Moment to Ourselves (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "this scar... what happened?" for the bees
> 
> premise: their night off in volume 7 at the club

It wasn’t the first time they’d snuck off to be alone together.

Almost their entire time at Beacon, Yang had been desperate to get to know Blake, understand her as a person and, well, impress her with her many skills and have fun, partner bonding time.

It usually ended with them blowing up a club, or fighting a group of people that Yang angered somehow. But despite those misfortunes, she got Blake to laugh, she got her to talk about her interests and her goals in life and as time went on, Yang realised she was very quickly developing a crush on her, even if she tried to deny it.

And then Beacon fell. And Blake left her.

But, then they found each other again, and they defeated their shared demons together and have stuck by each other’s side ever since, off doing their own thing half the time as if they were still back at Beacon and now Yang realised it wasn’t just a crush she had, oh no.

She was fully, irrevocably in love with Blake Belladonna and it was blowing her damn mind that she was currently making out with her outside of the club that they agreed to hang out at with Team FNKI.

Her body was pressed against Blake’s as her partner’s back was against the brick wall outside, with her prosthetic hand on her cheek and her other hand on her hip, and Blake’s hum of pleasure into her mouth suggested to her that she wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

It just sort of... Happened, when they were dancing together in the club and Blake looked like _that_ underneath the strobe lights and with the dorkiest grin on her face because she was still _awful_ at doing the moves she had tried teaching her. But they laughed together and danced and had fun and Yang couldn’t help but lay one on her right then and there, in the middle of the club.

It wasn’t the most romantic, it wasn’t the best kiss ever and she wished she just waited longer, to make it special for Blake, to make her experience way better than a kiss in a dingy club in Atlas.

But Blake had clung onto her and returned the kiss wholeheartedly, her hands gripping onto the lapels of her jacket tightly and she had quickly pulled away and breathed out a shaky breath against her lips, and lead her outside.

Another hum from Blake brought her mind back to the present, the _current_ situation where Blake’s mouth was on hers and her hands were roaming her shoulders and _fuck_.

“Fuck.” Yang muttered against her lips, which was something she definitely didn’t mean to say out loud, but the responding giggle she received was very much worth it.

“Already?” Blake teased back, and when Yang fluttered her eyes open, Blake was already looking at her with mirth in her glowing amber eyes and an infuriatingly attractive smirk on her lips.

Yang’s cheeks flushed even more than they already were and she sputtered, eyes widening a little.

“Um, no, I didn’t- I was just...” Yang cut herself off when Blake giggled at her again, happiness dancing in her eyes and Yang just simply watched her for a minute, delighting in the beautiful twinkle in her eye. She pouted at the laughter and glanced away, but Blake soon recovered and reached out to her cheek, soft and gentle as she pulled her attention back to her.

“You’re so cute when you’re flustered, you know.” Blake said, and Yang’s face burned and instead of responding in any proper way she just surged forward and captured Blake’s lips again, the resounding ‘mmph’ sound sparking a fire inside of her even more.

Yang leaned her back against the wall, her hands tentatively beginning to explore a bit more, but within limits. She kept her hands on the outside of Blake’s jacket, simply trailing down her sides and Blake shuddered against her, her hands laying against the sides of her neck, thumbs just under her jawline.

Yang stopped her hands on Blake’s waist, over her jacket, and Blake gently bit down on her bottom lip, a whimper escaping her mouth when she dragged it along a little as she pulled away from her. She looked at her, noticing the slight nervousness in her partner’s eyes, but also a sureness there that rivalled it.

“You can... Touch more, you know.” Blake breathed against her lips and Yang’s brain shut down instantly, short-circuiting and her hands stayed rigid at Blake’s waist, her lilac eyes blinking several times.

“Huh?” Yang replied dumbly, and Blake snorted a laugh, before laying her hands on Yang’s. She looked up at her with confidence and _oh wow_ , she was guiding Yang’s hands _underneath_ her long coat and over the leather suit she wore and she could feel the ripples of muscle on her abdomen underneath and-

“ _Gods_.” Yang exhaled in a shaky tone, and Blake stopped moving her hands, amber orbs suddenly looking unsure.

“Is this... Too much? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No!” Yang cut in, and Blake blinked back at her, ears flicking nervously on her head. Yang smiled awkwardly and cleared her throat, but began moving her hands on their own, sliding them to Blake’s leather-clad sides and caressing with her thumbs.

“This is perfect.” Yang reassured, and the tension eased out of Blake’s shoulders. She smiled at Yang, which she returned, and then _her_ hands moved a little, down, down, down until her fingers met the zipper on Yang’s overalls. Yang’s breath hitched when she met Blake’s eyes, but she made no move to unzip.

“You’re wearing a tank top underneath, right?” Blake suddenly said, and Yang was delighted to see a deep blush on her face now, despite her confidence from just moments ago. Yang snorted, Blake letting out a sound of protest.

“I just... I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Blake mumbled, and Yang hummed in reply. Slowly, she laid a hand over Blake’s and helped her fingers squeeze down on Yang’s zipper. She watched Blake’s eyes follow the zipper as it went down, revealing the low-cut, short tank top underneath, but it was there nonetheless.

“I’m not uncomfortable.” Yang said softly, and she pressed a bit closer, catching Blake’s eyes when she looked back up at her. Yang smiled nervously. “This is... Okay, for right now. But, um... I-I don’t know if I want to go further...” She was _so_ nervous, so awkward at saying these things despite building a reputation for being a big flirt. And while she was, sometimes she was _so_ bad at it, especially with Blake.

“That’s okay.” Blake responded without hesitation, a sincere and genuine look in her eyes and Yang deflated a little, some of her nerves dispelling at that. Blake grinned up at her and her ears flicked on her head, lowering a little when she glanced down to Yang’s torso.

Yang encouraged her by gently grasping her hands and placing them on her stomach, on top of her tank top and the bewildered look on Blake’s face just from that alone almost made her laugh.

Instead, she smiled at her and placed her hands back to their place at Blake’s leather-clad waist and leaned in, pressing their lips together - slow, gentle, deliberate and the complete opposite of their pace from before.

Blake hummed and relaxed against the wall, her fingers slightly bunching up Yang’s tank top and Yang shivered at the cold air hitting her exposed skin below it. Blake kissed her a few moments longer before pulling away again, Yang sucking back a pathetic whine. She looked to her and saw Blake biting her lip, chewing on it thoughtfully.

“Let me know... If this is too much, okay?” Blake whispered, and Yang crinkled her brow, but nodded. Blake’s hands moved slightly and she glanced down, face flushing when she saw her fingers tickle along the hem of her tank top, and she shuddered at the feeling of her cold fingertips grazing her stomach.

“Is this okay?” Blake asked, again, and Yang’s heart warmed considerably at how careful she was. Yang gulped and glanced back up at her partner’s nervously pinched face, then back down to her fingers. She took a breath to calm her raging heartbeat somewhat, and she slowly nodded, looking back into Blake’s eyes.

“Yes.” Yang vocalised her desire, wanted Blake to know that a little touching was definitely okay with her. Blake released a breath of relief and smiled at her, nodding slightly. Yang bit her lip as she felt Blake’s hands sneak under her tank top, only barely grazing her stomach and nothing else, but it was enough to send a jolt up and down her body, her hands gripping Blake’s waist.

“You okay?” Blake said - worried, as always. Yang took a breath and nodded rapidly.

“Yes, for sure. I’m okay with this, it’s just... Making me feel all these things and I can’t believe this is really happening right now and that you’re _actually_ doing this when it’s all I’ve wanted since Beacon and-”

Yang immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening at what she just let slip out in her barrage of nervous rambles. She shot her eyes over to gauge Blake’s reaction, but the faunus just stared back at her with a comforting, loving gaze and her fingers tickled along the skin of Yang’s stomach, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Me too.” Blake replied softly, and Yang pulled her hand away from her mouth at that, surprise in her eyes. Blake sighed and rolled her eyes a little, leaning up to peck Yang on the lips sweetly, moving her hands a little underneath her top. Yang gulped as she roamed, not going higher than her abdomen, her hands circling around to her back, before pausing.

Her finger grazed a long forgotten scar she had there, just on her lower back and she flushed at the soft touch, Blake’s faunus ears flicking with curiosity.

“This scar... What happened?” Blake asked, gently running her fingers over it and sending tingles up Yang’s back. “I didn’t know you had a scar here.”

Yang struggled to focus on the conversation, furrowing her brows to remember.

“Um... Probably something dumb with Ruby when we were kids.” Yang offered, and Blake flicked her eyes up to her, suggesting that that excuse didn’t fly with her. Yang’s cheeks turned red and she sighed deeply, wracking her brain a bit harder.

“Oh, it was-” Yang stopped herself, but Blake looked up at her expectantly, and when she still remained silent, Blake narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She hummed and leaned up to Yang’s lips, brushing them with her own before beginning to pepper kisses along her jawline. Yang blinked and wobbled a little on her feet, a pleasant warmth settling over her at Blake’s lips gently pressing against her skin.

“Don’t leave a girl waiting, Miss Xiao Long.” Blake mumbled against her cheek as she laid a kiss there, trailing her lips back to her lips. Yang swallowed thickly and shook her head, growing weaker and weaker by the second.

“Fine.” Yang breathed out against her lips, and Blake smirked triumphantly. “I was trying to... Impress you.”

Blake blinked at her, furrowing her eyebrows questioningly. Yang sighed deeply and continued.

“Remember when I challenged Nora to fight me back at Beacon, shortly after we met?”

“Mhm.” Blake said, her hands stroking the skin around the small scar on her back. Yang shuddered and tried her best to remain focused.

“And my aura broke when she slammed me against the wall?”

“Mhm.”

“When I fell down to the ground, my back hit one of the training swords against the wall.” Yang grumbled, and Blake’s lips were already curling in amusement, so she barrelled forward. “It nicked me the _tiniest_ bit but it was enough to scar. Literally just a stupid accident because I was an idiot that wanted to impress her partner by beating Nora.”

Blake held out for longer than she expected, but soon she burst into giggles and Yang groaned, pulling away from her slightly. Blake’s grip tightened on her though, and although she was still grumpy, Blake’s kiss to her nose made things a bit better.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just- You really did all that _just_ for me?” Blake replied incredulously, and Yang flushed, but looked at Blake with eyes full of love and adoration.

“‘Course. Even if you were barely paying attention with your nose in your book.” Yang replied with a teasing smile, but Blake’s ears lowered then, almost shyly and she narrowed her eyes at her as she flicked her gaze away.

“I wasn’t... _Just_ looking at my book.” Blake confessed under her breath, and Yang’s heart surged in her chest, butterflies filling her stomach and she beamed at Blake, the faunus groaning in response.

“Aw, _Blake_.” Yang cooed, and Blake huffed and rolled her eyes. “You _liked_ me, that’s so embarrassing for you.”

Blake snorted and pulled Yang against her body again, a small squeak escaping Yang’s lips as her hands left the scar on Yang’s back, returning to stroke along her abs.

“So did you.” Blake shot back, and Yang couldn’t help but smile at that, despite the light blush on her face. Yang leaned in and tilted Blake’s face upwards by cupping her jaw, laying a soft kiss on her lips. She felt Blake’s sigh of content against her face and she smiled wider against Blake’s lips, effectively breaking their kiss for a moment.

“I did.” Yang whispered, and Blake’s ears drooped on her head, an endearing blush overtaking her features. “And you have no idea how happy I am right now.”

Blake smiled gently and leaned in to nuzzle against Yang’s jaw, make out session and dishevelled clothes long forgotten as they held each other in a warm embrace.

“I have a pretty good idea.” Blake replied softly.

It was shortly after that when they got the call about Grimm flooding the city, and they hastily situated their clothes back to normal. And although they felt empty without their arms around each other, their lips still tingled from their kisses and as they worked flawlessly in battle as always, they would never forget that moment they shared.

Even with all the chaos that followed.


	37. here for you (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: yang's arm is hurting and blake comforts her
> 
> premise: somewhere during volume 7, just a random point

“ _Fuck_.”

Yang awoke with a start and a curse fell from her lips as she sat up in her bed in the team’s Atlas dorm room. She sucked a harsh breath in through her teeth and clenched her jaw, her left hand coming to rest on her right arm, just above where the stump formed.

Sometimes, she would prefer to take her prosthetic off when she slept. This was one of those nights.

However, the downside to doing that, was that there were also times when she would get stabbing pains up and down the remaining part of her arm - especially in the stump area.

She winced when another shot of pain travelled through her arm and she held her bicep tightly, shaking her head. It was especially bad tonight - for some reason, and although it usually only lasted 5-10 minutes, she would rather it not happen _at all_ , and wished she could just sleep in peace.

She took a deep breath and shuffled her way out of her bed, realising quickly that sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon, and navigated her way down the ladder, landing softly on the carpet below. She didn’t look to her teammates to see if she woke them, as another sharp pain sent her rushing towards the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, leaning her back on it and squeezing her eyes shut.

“ _Shit_.” She cursed much louder than intended, clamping her mouth shut and looking down at her arm, already feeling the bubbling of tears in her throat and the compressed feeling in her chest. It _hurt_ \- and she knew it was just the burden of what had happened to her that she had to deal with it sometimes, but man, was it fucking awful.

She took another deep breath and gripped the fabric of her t-shirt, willing herself to calm down despite the pain. She could get through it - she has plenty of times before, on her own, and this time was no different-

“Yang?”

It was Blake, just outside the door.

She jumped and blinked a few times, some of her tears trickling down her pale cheeks. She gulped and shifted herself on the door, leaning her head back on it and looking up at the ceiling.

“Yeah?” She replied as steadily as she could, and she heard a shuffle from outside.

“Are you... Okay?” Blake asked in a soft tone, and Yang could only imagine that her face was filled with worry and her ears lowered on her head and Yang let out a sharp exhale, gritting her teeth when another extremely bad pain shot through her arm.

“I’m - ah, fuck - I’m alright, don’t worry.” Yang stuttered, and internally cursed when she heard a concerned noise from Blake outside.

“You don’t sound fine.” Blake replied, voice still soft and soothing. “Can... Can I come in? Let me help.”

Yang licked her lips and sighed deeply, every part of her telling her to push Blake away. It wasn’t her issue, nor was it her fault in any way - it was just what she had to deal with now, and it was her burden to bear. She shouldn’t unload all of this on her partner in the middle of the night, already feeling bad about waking her up by accident.

“I... I’m fine, really. Just go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you.” Yang said, swivelling her head a little to speak a bit more properly through the door. There was a beat of silence, and Yang momentarily thought that it worked - that Blake actually went back to bed.

But, then she spoke again.

“Yang.” Blake said, and Yang took another breath. “I won’t... Force my way in, or make you talk about whatever’s bothering you. But... I’m here for you - always will be. I promised you at that waterfall...”

She trailed off, but she had said enough for Yang to understand. Her arm throbbed particularly bad at that moment and she cried out a little in pain, and she heard Blake’s hand on the doorknob in an instant, ready to burst in but still aware of Yang’s boundaries.

Blake remained silent for the next few seconds, but her hand was still on the doorknob, indicated by the slight shake to it. Yang whimpered in pain and cursed at herself, sighing and pulling herself away from the door. She turned and swung the door open.

Blake stood there with wide amber eyes and ears pinned to her head with worry, and her eyes quickly surveyed Yang - her face, her body, everywhere to make sure nothing was out of order.

Yang clenched her eyes shut and allowed Blake to step inside, shutting the door behind them both and then she was there - her hands gently pressed to her biceps and the Atlas issued shampoo filling her nose, her breath ghosting her skin.

“What’s wrong? What... What can I do?” Blake asked, and Yang was grateful she was trying to stay calm in the situation. Yang smiled bitterly and opened her eyes to meet hers, before lifting her right arm, gathering Blake’s attention.

“Just hurts.” Yang said with a wince. “A lot.”

Blake looked down to her arm with a frown, and another pain caused Yang to wince, letting out a shaky breath.

“How long...?” Blake looked back up to her as she trailed off, and Yang willed the sadness in her beautiful amber orbs to go away. 

“Shortly after... You left.” Yang’s voice softened and she heard Blake’s breath hitch. She quickly continued on. “It’s usually only when I try to sleep with my prosthetic off... It usually only lasts like five minutes, but it’s being stubborn tonight.”

She grumbled the last bit, but even her terrible attempt at humour didn’t seem to get through to Blake. She flitted her eyes up to her partner’s, but Blake was looking at her arm again, the same frown on her lips as she stared. Yang’s brows furrowed, but before she could say much else, another sharp pain shot through her arm and she hissed, pressing herself back against the marble of the sink counter. Blake gripped her left arm in worry, and Yang sighed deeply.

“I’m okay.” Yang said, but Blake shook her head.

“Yang, it’s hurting you.” Blake said softly. “Maybe I can go find some medicine? There has to be-”

“No.” Yang cut her off in a gentle tone, her eyes meeting Blake’s. “No, it’s fine. It’ll go away in a few minutes.”

“But, Yang...” Blake trailed off and glanced to her arm, but Yang sighed and reached out her other hand again, this time cupping her partner’s cheek. Blake blinked and returned her gaze, and under other circumstances maybe Yang would tease her about the warmth on her cheeks at her touch, or the slight hitch in her breathing. But, with the pain in her arm, it probably wasn’t the best time.

“Just... Stay with me, until it goes away?” Yang’s voice turned to a whisper, so soft and child-like that she almost didn’t recognise herself. She just knew she didn’t want Blake to leave her - and Blake didn’t seem to _want_ to leave either. Her presence was calming, and although the pain was still persistent, having Blake be with her was helping more than hindering it.

Blake worried her bottom lip for a moment, but ultimately gave in and relaxed her shoulders, nodding her head and pressing closer to Yang. Yang sighed in content when Blake encouraged her to sit on the floor with her, leaning them both back against the sink.

Yang whimpered in pain yet again when her arm acted up once more, and Blake immediately brought her into her arms, encouraging her to lay her head in the crook of her neck. 

“It’s okay.” Blake whispered into her hair, and Yang let out a shaky breath, but pressed herself more into Blake’s arms.

“It’ll be over soon, don’t worry.” Blake said gently, and her soothing, calm voice reached Yang’s ears and caused her heart to flip upside down in her chest, a light, fluttery feeling in her stomach. Blake was _here_ \- with her, helping her, keeping her promise that she made all that time ago.

Yang was so grateful to have her.

She clenched her jaw at another bout of pain, and Blake must have sensed that, because she raised her hand to begin caressing Yang’s hair, threading her fingers into the golden strands and _oh._

Yang hummed pleasantly into Blake’s neck at the gentle fingers carding through her hair, the soft touch helping with the ache in her arm, allowing her mind to begin focusing on that, and Blake’s steady breathing rather than the pain. Blake unwound her left arm from Yang’s body, and there was a protest on her tongue that died when Blake wrapped her hand around her arm, gently beginning to stroke it with her thumb.

Yang let out another grunt of pain and Blake’s thumb stilled.

“I’m sorry, did that-?”

“No!” Yang interrupted, raising her head to meet Blake’s eyes. Her cheeks heated up at the proximity of their faces, so close that she could see the flecks of brown hidden deep in Blake’s amber orbs. She momentarily got lost in them for a second, before the pain brought her back to reality, another strained sound escaping her lips.

“No, it- ah - it wasn’t you.” Yang said, and Blake’s ears lowered on her head with concern, but Yang shook her head a little, lips curling up in a hint of a smile. “It’s helping. _You’re_ helping, I promise.”

Blake searched her face, and when she seemed to find what she was looking for, she nodded and pulled Yang back into her neck, returning her right hand to thread into her hair and her left to stroke along the pained arm, her delicate touch calming Yang down again and pushing away the pain.

Yang took a few more deep breaths, snuggling deeper into Blake’s warm embrace and after another few minutes, she realised the pain was slowing floating away, only turning to a dull ache before finally leaving completely, her arm now feeling just as it had before she fell asleep.

Yang released another breath and swallowed thickly, pulling her head away from Blake’s neck, looking into her eyes. She smiled slightly at her and wiggled her arm a little.

“All good.” Yang chirped, and Blake released a breath, returning the smile that Yang offered her.

“Good.” Blake said, sounding more relieved than Yang. “Are you... Going to be okay?”

Yang sighed and reached out her left hand, taking Blake’s in her own. The faunus’ cheeks tinged a pretty pink and Yang found herself grinning at her, her own cheeks no doubt the same colour.

“I will be, don’t worry.” Yang replied. Blake nodded, and Yang stared back at her, her heart doing so many jumping jacks in her chest at the soft, albeit still worried, look in Blake’s eyes and the delicate touch to her hand.

“Thank you.” Yang said softly - shyly. Blake blinked back at her and she squeezed her hand in her own. “For being here. It... Helped a lot more than you think.”

With an even softer and more adoring look than before, Blake leaned in and pressed her forehead against Yang’s, looking into her eyes.

“I’ll always be here. No matter what happens, we’re in this together.” Blake breathed out in the minimal space between them, and Yang smiled. She thought back to a rushing waterfall, a harsh battle, and the words ‘protecting each other’ searing into her mind and heart.

“Right.” Yang replied, and Blake smiled back at her, her partner lightly nuzzling her nose against hers cutely. Yang’s cheeks flushed, and Blake giggled at her before pulling away, gesturing to the door.

“My bunk?” Was all Blake said, and Yang would have to be a fool to pass up on that offer, especially with the hopeful and shy look on Blake’s face and the endearing blush on her cheeks.

“I’ll be there soon.” Yang replied, and with one more nod from Blake, she exited the bathroom and left Yang alone with her thoughts.

Despite their past, Yang knew she could trust in Blake’s words now. When she said she would be there, would help her through her pain, she knew it was the truth. And Yang would do the same.

Protecting each other through it all. 


	38. Show My Love (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "giving yang the love and affection she deserves: bumbleby addition"
> 
> Premise: future married bees after the war

Yang felt… Cold.

It wasn’t the type of cold that you feel in the winter weather - with the frosty air nipping at your skin to leave goosebumps behind and flooding your cheeks with red. She knew before she fell asleep last night that all of their bedroom windows were locked tight, with the curtains drawn to cover up the sunlight, and her usual heat permeated throughout her body and underneath the fluffy blankets on their bed.

But she still felt cold.

She slowly cracked open her eyes, blinking a few times to gather her bearings. It was a bit dark in their room, due to the curtains, but there was enough light slipping through the cracks that she could see properly after a minute or so of adjusting her vision.

She frowned at the lack of another body on the other side of the bed. She reached over and grazed the empty space, the sheets cold to the touch and indicating that her wife had been up for quite a while. Yang grumbled and flopped onto her back again - no wonder she felt cold.

Just when she was about to get herself out of bed to search for said wife, the woman herself pushed lightly on the door of the room. Yang shot herself up onto her elbows and smiled when Blake turned on the light to their room.

“Oh, look who’s finally up.” Blake said in the doorway, crossing her arms and smirking at Yang. Yang narrowed her eyes back at her, a small smile erupting on her face.

“Some of us need more than 8 hours to live. I was just built different, babe.” Yang replied and her heart surged when Blake snorted at her, the sound just as cute as the first time she heard it. Blake rolled her eyes and sauntered into the room, hopping onto the bed and crawling on all fours - a sight that greatly enthused Yang - until she hovered over Yang in the bed, beautiful smile raining down on her.

“Good morning.” Blake whispered to her, and Yang’s stomach fluttered with butterflies when she leaned down to kiss her forehead. She smiled and reached out to her, pressing her hands into Blake’s thighs when she straddled her, but it wasn’t sexual by any means, the faunus continuing to lay soft, gentle kisses to every inch of her face. From her forehead, down to her nose, her cheeks, her jawline, and by then Yang was wiggling underneath her, giggling a little.

“What’s all this for?” Yang breathed out with giddiness, and Blake smiled into her skin, finally pulling back to look down at her properly, her amber eyes glowing.

“I just love you. Is that a crime?” Blake replied with a teasing smile, and Yang hummed back at her, smile threatening to break her face when Blake leaned down again, this time gently pressing her lips to Yang’s. Yang sucked in a breath through her nose and hummed pleasantly against her wife’s lips, running her hands up and down her thighs bracketing her hips.

Blake’s hand cupped her jaw and angled her head better, her other hand reaching up to begin threading her fingers through her golden hair, lightly scratching every so often. Yang shivered under her touch, her whole body buzzing and heating up and her previous feeling of coldness was long forgotten.

Blake lightly nipped at Yang’s bottom lip, a soft whimper escaping Yang’s throat when her wife pulled away from her after, Yang leaning up to try to chase her lips. Blake laughed cutely and pressed a hand to her chest, pressing her back down to the mattress.

“Come on. I have a surprise for you.” Blake said mysteriously, a happy twinkle in her eye as she moved herself off of Yang and off the bed. Yang puffed out a few breaths to calm her raging heartbeat, glancing over at her.

“That wasn’t it?” Yang said cheekily, and Blake’s ears flicked on her head as she smirked a little back at her, shrugging her shoulders.

“It’s not exactly a surprise that I leave you breathless, darling.” Blake teased, ignoring Yang’s stutters as she walked over to the open door, and Yang’s eyes definitely caught the extra sway in her hips as she did so.

“Um, _no_.” Yang protested, scrambling herself out of the bed and placing her hands on her hips, completely forgetting she was left in only her bra and underwear from last night. Blake’s eyes turned delighted and mischievous as they roamed her body, and Yang’s lips curled into a smirk, eyebrows wiggling. “See something you like?”

“Very much so.” Blake responded immediately, and Yang flushed from head to toe. Despite being married to the literal love of her life for over a year now, the flirty remarks still managed to lave Yang speechless and awkward like a teenager.

“But,” Blake continued, a light sigh escaping her lips before approaching Yang, her hand grasping hers in a gentle grip, amber eyes looking up into hers with so much love that Yang almost had to sit down. “As much as I would _love_ a repeat of last night, I _really_ do have something for you out in the kitchen so please do your lovely wife a favour and come here?”

She lightly tugged on Yang’s hand and smiled so wide and loving at her, and Yang could hardly believe that she was able to call this woman her wife. She was overjoyed when Blake even agreed to _date_ her, let alone _marry_ her.

“Be there soon.” Yang finally said, and Blake beamed at her and her ears wiggled on her head in excitement. She leaned up and pecked Yang’s lips sweetly, Yang very much tempted to place her hands on her hips to continue it, but before she could, Blake pulled away and made her exit with a cheeky wink back at her.

Yang puffed out her cheeks and rubbed her face, looking up at the ceiling briefly.

“Brothers, thank you.” Yang said quietly to herself, dopey smile overcoming her as she set out to put on more comfortable clothes.

Once she was done with that, golden hair tied in a loose ponytail and loose sweatpants and t shirt adorning her body, she sauntered out of the bedroom and down the hallway, and about halfway down is when her nose caught the telltale whiff of bacon and she _raced_ down the rest of the hallway to skid to a stop in their kitchen, eyes wide and childlike.

“Blake Breakfast!” Yang said, and Blake let out a soft giggle when she plopped herself down at the table, a whole feast set out before her.

Although Blake had become very skilled in the kitchen, they often were so busy lately that there wasn’t a lot of time for them to actually sit and eat breakfast together anymore. The last one Yang could remember was a couple of months ago, and whenever they had a chance for Blake to make breakfast for them, it was always the tastiest breakfast Yang had ever tasted.

Blake went all out today, for some reason - bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, a whole mess of things and Yang’s eyes surveyed it all, then shot up to Blake when she sat down on the opposite side of the table.

“Are Ruby and Weiss coming over or something?” Yang said in a joking tone. Blake raised an eyebrow questioningly, so Yang motioned to all the food. “There’s enough here to feed _both_ team RWBY and team JNOR. Something happening I don’t know about?”

Blake softened at that, and Yang blinked when her ears lowered a bit on her head, a light pink tinging her cheeks. Blake glanced down to all the food and then met Yang’s eyes again, smiling lovingly at her and reaching across the table to hold her hands.

“It’s all for us.” Blake replied, and before Yang could question it, she said, “I just woke up today and… I don’t know, wanted to do something for you, because I love you.” Blake’s voice turned gentle at the end and Yang blinked again, gears turning in her mind.

“Like filling my stomach?” Yang attempted humour again, because, really - it was her go to most of the time, even after so many years of coming to terms with her love for the woman across from her. Blake huffed a laugh and squeezed their hands, beginning to play with her fingers.

“Isn’t there a saying about that?” Blake replied with just as much lightheartedness, and Yang laughed a little. Blake pursed her lips and pulled her hands away, gesturing to all the food. “Now come on, it’ll get cold.”

Yang watched her start to dig in to the many dishes on the table, and after another moment, soon followed her lead and filled her plate with practically everything. As she ate, her eyes looked to Blake from across the table, and the faunus had cheeks full of food and ears flicking on her head and amber eyes fixed on all the food on her plate and Yang stopped mid-chew, a soft warmth settling in the pit of her stomach at the sight of her. After a bit of staring, Blake finally saw that she was looking at her and blinked, eyebrows crinkled.

“What? Is it… Bad?” Blake asked timidly, and Yang’s eyes widened, shaking her head.

“No, no! Baby, it’s _amazing_. I just… I-” Yang took a breath and smiled lightly at her, gathering her thoughts for a minute. “Now it’ll be hard to one up this. You’re too amazing.” Yang said with a cheeky look on her face.

Blake’s cheeks flared up and she swallowed the food in her mouth to smile at her. It was so full of warmth and love that Yang felt her breath hitch and her stomach flutter again. Blake briefly abandoned her food to lean over the table and Yang happily received the sweet kiss on her lips, humming in content.

“No need to.” Blake whispered against her lips, flicking her eyes up to meet hers and cupping her cheeks gently, thumbs caressing her skin. “Loving you is a privilege that I never believed I would be able to have, and I intend to keep showing you just how much I do.”

Yang looked back at her, her throat closing up due to the emotions building up inside of her. This was _not_ what she expected when she got out of bed this morning.

“I love you.” Yang breathed out against her lips, because it was all she could think to say back, and Blake leaned in to nuzzle their noses together. She smiled and lightly brushed her lips against Yang’s, looking up at her with sparkling amber orbs.

“I love you too.” She said, and with that, Blake placed herself back into her chair across from her and smiled back at her. Yang’s heart felt full in her chest and soon enough, as she dug back in to her mountain of food, her stomach would be too. 

They stumbled their way to get where they were, and although some days were never as perfect as this one, Yang wouldn’t change anything for the world. She had her best friend, her partner, the love of her life as her wife and she would spend every day telling Blake how much she loved her.

And clearly, Blake was more than happy to do the same for her.


	39. Riding Along With You (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: yang teaching blake how to ride bumblebee
> 
> premise: beacon days bees!!

When Blake exited the double doors of Beacon and out into the large courtyard, she didn’t expect to see Yang already there, waiting for her and leaning on her motorcycle, aviators on and a helmet tucked under her arm.

Blake raised an eyebrow at her partner as she approached, and Yang beamed at her when she saw her, raising her glasses to the top of her head and leaning off of the bike. She held the helmet in both of her hands now and there was a glint in her lilac eyes that suggested that Blake was about to be roped into something insane.

“Heya, Blakey!” Yang said in a cheerful tone, and Blake couldn’t help but let a small smile slip onto her lips at the nickname Yang had taken to using with her. She usually wasn’t one to be into that kind of thing but for some reason, when Yang did it, it was… Not as terrible.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Xiao Long?” Blake replied, smile turning into a slight smirk at the brief surprise in Yang’s eyes. Her partner quickly recovered and stepped closer to her, but gestured behind her towards her motorcycle, the same excited look in her eye.

“So, you know how I’ve been trying to… Bond with you.” Yang said, and Blake hummed in reply, not missing the way her partner’s cheeks flushed.

“And they’ve all ended in disaster?” Blake said, and Yang flushed deeper with embarrassment, but she cleared her throat and nodded, raising her hand to scratch the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Exactly.” Yang admitted quietly, before moving out of the way and throwing a look to the motorcycle again, then beamed back at Blake. “I have another idea.”

Blake narrowed her eyes at her, slid them over towards the bike, then slowly back to Yang, who stood there with so much hope and excitement in her eyes.

“Yang.” Blake said simply. “You don’t have to… _Do_ anything, you know?” It was Blake’s turn to feel slight nervousness when Yang blinked at her. Blake held her left wrist with her right hand and shrugged. “You’ve done a lot already and I’ve… Had a lot of fun, every time.”

It was maybe a bit too much in the moment, but the red that dusted Yang’s face was pretty worth it. Yang then bit her lip and chewed, but seemed to shake from her thoughts and stepped up to Blake again, reaching the helmet out to her and pressing it against her chest.

“I know! And… I’m glad, I really am. But…” Yang trailed off and shifted on her feet, before shrugging. “Okay, I just _really_ want something to go _right_ for once and teaching you to ride Bumblebee is something I _know_ I can do! So, come on - give it a chance? For me?”

She said it with big, wide puppy dog eyes as she looked down to Blake and Blake suddenly felt a rush of something in her stomach at the sheer dedication that Yang had to this partnership - their friendship. She truly just wanted to hang out with her, to get to know her and teach her new things and show her things she was passionate about, encouraging Blake to do the same.

Blake’s heart skipped a beat but she did _not_ have the time or emotional capacity to deal with _that_ right now. So, instead, she pushed it away and glanced down to the helmet pressed against her chest.

“You named your bike Bumblebee?” Was the only thing Blake thought to say in that moment, a teasing lilt to her voice and when she looked back up to Yang, her cheeks remained that lovely shade of red and she stuttered a little, narrowing her eyes at her.

“As a matter of fact, _yes_. Look at her - isn’t she beautiful?” Yang said and spun around towards the bike, stars in her eyes and Blake couldn’t help but snort at her, huffing a laugh as Yang walked over to it. She looked back at her and wiggled the helmet in her hand, waving her over.

“Come on! She doesn’t bite.” Yang said with a grin, and Blake finally sighed deeply and walked over, taking the helmet from her hands and placing it on her head. It was a bit awkward because of her bow, and if Yang realised she kept on said bow instead of taking it off for the helmet, she didn’t question it.

“Now, just swing your leg over her.” Yang said, and Blake did as she was told, straddling the seat of the motorcycle and placing her hands on the handles. Yang stood in front of the bike, placing her hands over top of Blake’s on the handles to get them in the proper positions.

Blake felt that rush again inside of her and she swallowed, glancing up at Yang’s concentrated look at her hands.

“Okay!” Yang looked at her with a dazzling smile As she rounded the bike, she slipped her aviators back over her eyes and without any warning at all, hopped on the back and wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist, causing her grip to weaken on the handles. 

Oh, okay. So, that’s what they’re doing then.

“So, place your feet here.” Yang started saying, her voice slightly muffled due to the raging thoughts in Blake’s head, but she followed instructions as Yang guided her. She felt Yang’s feet tap her own and looked down on either side, making sure her feet were placed properly on the foot pegs.

“Perfect. Next, we start her up.” Yang said just next to her ear, but due to the helmet around her head, it was a bit quieter than it usually would have been. Before Blake could say anything, Yang thrust her hand in front of her face and dangled keys in front of her face. Blake huffed and took them from her partner, looking down at the bike.

“This is insane.” Blake muttered, and Yang giggled next to her ear, the sound sending her heart plummeting to the floor.

“Maybe! But, you’re doing great so far. You sure you haven’t been on one before?” Yang said, and Blake smirked a little from inside the helmet, finally finding the ignition and sticking the key inside of it, turning it with surprising swiftness. The bike rumbled to life underneath them and Blake felt her ears twitch underneath her bow with interest.

“Nope.” Blake replied, but she conveniently left out the part that she once caught a fish with her mother by wrestling it in the ocean, hence why she wasn’t at all fazed by any of this at the moment. Yang hummed thoughtfully, and she effectively cut off Blake’s mind when the arms around her waist reached out towards her hands.

Blake blinked as Yang’s warm hands wrapped around her own, slowly placing them on the handles once again, but she didn’t pull away this time. Blake flushed as their hands remained locked and Yang leaned against her back.

“Next, take your hands and hold these levers.” Yang took her hands and wrapped them both around said levers just beyond the handlebars, encouraging her to pull them into the handles. Blake watched with rapt attention at their hands, and once the levers were in place, the bike rumbled some more and moved the tiniest bit, Blake squeaking in surprise.

Yang laughed heartily, and before Blake could send any sort of response back to her, Yang encouraged her to squeeze the levers again.

“Once you do this, then press the start button, we’ll be off!” Yang said, bouncing in her seat behind her. Blake smiled a little and nodded, and with a racing heartbeat, she did just that - and almost sent them into a nearby tree.

Yang held onto her hands tightly though and steered them properly out of the way of said tree, gearing them out towards the streets of Vale.

“Damn, that was close.” Yang said way too nonchalantly, and Blake whipped her head behind her briefly before looking back to the road, Yang’s hands on her own providing her with security and safety on this deathtrap.

“ _Close?_ Yang, I could’ve killed us!” Blake said with narrowed eyes, and Yang laughed at her again, seemingly no care in the world.

“Not when I’m here.” Yang shouted back to her over the roar of the engine and the heavy winds in their faces, and as they continued along the streets, weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians, Yang finished her thought by saying, “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

Blake’s heart lurched at that simple statement, and she slowly began to smile again the further they travelled along together.

Eventually, she felt Yang’s hands ease off of hers as they drove, instead wrapping her arms around her waist just as before. And Blake was a little wobbly at times, a little unsure, but she remained in control of the bike and kept them going, with Yang’s encouraging words along the way.

She may have wrestled a fish with her mother, she may have had a dark past with extreme dangers that she hasn’t expressed to her team yet, but Yang still found ways to teach her things she had never been able to try before.

And with Yang’s body pressed against her back and her cheerful laughter echoing in her ears, flying through the city on one of her partners’ most prized possessions and a carefree feeling filling her chest, she realised she felt the freest she has ever felt in her entire life.

And it was a memory she would keep with her for as long as possible. 


	40. Hold Your Hand Tight (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "something building off of the motif of blake helping with yang's arm tremor"
> 
> premise: their first night in the atlas dorms in volume 7

Things were… Different.

Blake wasn’t sure what kind of different, at the moment. One minute, she and the team were battling Grimm in Mantle, then the next minute they were arrested by Atlesian military, and then finally saw Ironwood again after so long, as well as Penny, and were now given their own rooms and clothing in the Academy and it was just… _a lot_.

Blake puffed out a breath as she looked herself over in the bathroom mirror, a slight frown on her lips at her reflection. There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, and a worn-out look on her face and she sighed, glancing down at her hands placed on the sleek marble top of the sink counter.

There weren’t many thoughts raging in her head at that moment, but there was one her mind kept going back to no matter how hard she tried to be rid of it. It was there ever since that waterfall, ever since she and Yang…

Blake shook her head and let out a shaky breath, looking up when she heard a small knock at the bathroom door. She swallowed thickly at the flash of red that ingrained itself into her mind, but pushed it away for the time being as she turned herself towards the door.

“Yeah?” She called, and she heard someone shuffle their feet outside.

“You okay? You’ve, um, been in there for a while.” Ruby called back to her through the doorway, and although she was grateful for her leader’s soft voice and comforting nature, she couldn’t help the slight disappointment that filled her that it wasn’t a certain other person.

Blake took another breath and ran a hand through her long raven locks, flicking her ears on her head. Briefly, she made a mental note for the next morning to look into a hair cut - maybe.

“Yeah. Coming out now.” Blake replied, making good on that statement shortly after when she walked to the door and swung it open, revealing Ruby in her Atlas themed pyjamas, a worried look in her eyes as she took in Blake’s state. Blake flicked her eyes past Ruby for a second, taking note of Weiss lounging on her bunk in the room, staring off into the distance while she slowly but surely unravelled her hair from its side ponytail.

There was a severe lack of a warm presence in the room, and Blake’s eyebrows furrowed, but before she could even ask Ruby or Weiss, she felt Ruby’s hand on her shoulder and she shot her eyes back to her. Ruby smiled gently at her and nodded her head towards the door to the dorm.

“Yang went for a walk. I… Think there was a balcony not far down the hall.” That was all Ruby provided to her before she squeezed her shoulder and brushed past her to walk into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Blake blinked and tried not to seem eager as she made her way to the dorm door.

“Don’t stay out too late. We have a busy day tomorrow.” Weiss said from behind her, and a smile twitched at the corner of Blake’s lips at the motherly tone Weiss took on, rather than the snarky, know-it-all tone she used to have - a far cry from who she used to be.

All of them were a far cry from who they used to be.

“I know.” She replied softly, and with that, she opened the door and stepped out, the door sliding shut behind her. Blake looked down the hallway, left and right, and there wasn’t much to see, but something tugged her down the left end of the hallway - something in her heart that pushed her that way, and so, she followed it.

Sure enough, not far down the hallway, a room opened up to the left side of her that seemed to be a lounging sort of area amongst the dorm rooms, couches and chairs and tables galore, with several bookcases pressed against one wall. At the back of this spacious room, there was a set of glass double doors leading outside to a balcony, and as she gazed out, she could make out the clear image of her partner leaned over the railing of said balcony, looking up at the sky and hiding her arms from view.

Blake felt her heart pick up at the sight of her and she licked her lips, slowly but surely making her way through the room until she stood at the doors. She outstretched her hands and slowly opened up the doors, the crisp, bitter air of Atlas rushing to greet her. She shivered a little while she stepped out, curling her arms around herself as the doors slid shut.

“Yang?” Blake called softly, and Yang jumped a little, swiftly turning around to meet her eyes. She was still in her clothes from earlier that day, looking much warmer in that jacket than Blake was in the thin material of the Atlas Academy pyjamas they were issued. 

Yang gave her a tiny smile.

“Hey.” Yang replied, and Blake’s heart thumped in her chest when she gestured for her to come closer. Her cheeks warmed up as she did just that, almost squeaking in surprise when Yang wrapped her prosthetic arm around her waist, gently pulling her into her side at the railing.

The warmth was immediate and she relaxed her shoulders, leaning herself against Yang’s side and laying her head on her shoulder, smiling appreciatively as she looked up at the cracked moon in the sky and the stars littering the night.

“You… Doing okay?” Blake asked tentatively, and she felt Yang tense slightly next to her. It was brief, but it was unmistakable and Blake raised her head to look at her again, her ears lowering a little. “Yang?”

Yang sighed and glanced to her, her arm tightening around her waist. Blake looked into her eyes, the lilac swirling with so many conflicted feelings that Blake didn’t know what to address first. So much had happened over the past day or so, so much the both of them had to do, and although Blake couldn’t get the thought of _him_ out of her mind, she wasn’t sure if Yang felt the same way.

Yang was silent for a bit longer, and Blake expected her to brush off her question, to tell her that they should go to sleep and deal with it another day.

But then she seemed to crumble in front of her and Yang leaned into her side a bit heavier, looking away from her and down towards Mantle below them, her lilac eyes sad and her eyebrows crinkled.

“I think so…” Yang said softly, and Blake leaned in closer to her to hear her better, ears pinned sadly to her head. She didn’t say anything, allowing Yang to gather her thoughts and say whatever was on her mind.

Yang’s silence persisted yet again, but Blake waited patiently. She was startled when Yang clenched her eyes shut all of a sudden, shaking her head and letting out a shaky breath into the chilly night air, a cloud forming from her exhale.

“I can’t stop thinking about it.” She finally said, and it clicked in Blake’s mind what she meant immediately - not much more needing to be said for her to understand. 

Yang’s arm had dropped from around her waist to lay on the railing in front of them again, and Blake reached out to her prosthetic hand, laying her own hand over top of it, squeezing gently. Yang opened her eyes and looked to her, an unsteady look on her face and slight melancholic look in her eyes. 

“Me neither.” Blake replied, and Yang deflated a little, her shoulders sagging almost with relief. Blake watched her for another moment, waiting for Yang’s reply. 

“Have you… Ever…?” Yang started but stopped, shaky and weak, almost strained. Blake furrowed her eyebrows at her, but squeezed her hand again to encourage her to continue, the limited amount of words not enough for her to understand. Yang licked her lips and looked down to their hands. “Have you ever… Had to do that? To someone?”

The air was knocked from Blake’s lungs but she kept her breathless gasps inside of her, instead leaning herself on the railing to support herself. She took a few breaths to calm herself, and she felt Yang’s shoulder press into hers - warm, safe, comforting.

Yang was there. Yang was with her. They were okay.

Blake took another deep breath before she finally answered.

“Not myself, no.” Blake whispered in between them. “I had seen… _Him_ do it, before, other members of the White Fang too, but I could never…” Blake trailed off as it dawned on her that that statement wasn’t true anymore - she _could_ do it, and she had.

But not because she wanted to.

“He was… _Terrible_ , Yang.” Blake said with a shudder, mind flitting back to everything he had said and done to her over the years, everything he took from her and tried to continue to take. She looked out at the midnight sky once more, steadying herself with the feeling of Yang’s body pressed against hers. “He hurt me in so many ways, and was planning on doing it again and again.”

She broke off again, shaking her head, ears pressed to her head still.

“I just wish it didn’t come to that.” She finished her thought after a few seconds, continuing to ground herself in the moment with Yang - in the present, instead of the past. 

A slight rattling against the steel railing caught her attention and she shot her eyes over, and her heart sunk when she saw Yang’s eyes somewhere faraway now, looking off into the distance, her left arm… Shaking uncontrollably and she _saw_ the despair on Yang’s face, the need to hide the arm from Blake, pulling it away from the railing to stop the rattling.

“Yang.” Blake breathed out in a sad tone, not wasting anymore time and reaching over to her partner, holding the shaking hand in both of hers. It was just like at Brunswick, in the barn, but Blake knew better than to say what she said back then. No, she had better words now.

The shaking subsided as she held Yang’s hand, her thumbs caressing her skin as she started to speak again.

“It’s okay.” Blake murmured, and her gentle words seemed to break through to Yang, her lilac eyes glancing over to her, and Blake could see the red rimmed around them with the telltale sign of tears gathering. Blake’s heart cracked even more and she tugged on Yang’s hand, turning her body so they were properly face to face, her amber eyes looking up at Yang.

She leaned up and pressed their foreheads together gently, lilac and gold locked on each other with Yang’s shaky hand in between the warmth of their bodies.

“He’s gone.” Blake said, and she felt Yang’s hand shake a bit more, but her grip tightened around it. “And as much as I wish we didn’t have to do what we did… He wasn’t going to stop coming after me - after us.” She took a breath and raised her left hand to cup Yang’s cheek, her right hand still clasped on Yang’s hand. “I feel… Sick, every second, that we had to make that choice but…” She sighed gently, taking in the tear that travelled down Yang’s cheek, her thumb quickly swiping it away. “We aren’t monsters, Yang. _You_ aren’t a monster. And we’re both okay. And we can… Be here, for each other, and hope that we never have to do something like that ever again.”

She briefly wondered if those words would be enough, or if they were too much. She wondered if Yang would push her away again, wouldn’t want to be open about something like this again.

But her doubts were chased away when slowly, but steadily, the shaking in Yang’s hand subsided completely and her partner’s shoulders relaxed again. Yang looked into her eyes and nodded slightly, taking a deep breath.

“Okay.” Yang breathed out, her breath fanning out over Blake’s face. “Okay. We… We’ll be okay.”

“We will.” Blake squeezed her hand tightly. “We’re protecting each other, just like we did back there. And we’ll be okay.”

Yang nodded again, and Blake felt relief envelope her at some of the colour returning to Yang’s cheeks and eyes, her body relaxing even more. After another beat, Yang sighed and leaned away from her, Blake already feeling the loss of her heat as she stepped away, sniffling a little and letting out a watery laugh.

“I need to nap for a thousand years.” Yang said, and Blake smiled at the attempt at a joke, a light giggle escaping her lips. Yang’s eyes lit up at the sound of her laugh, and Blake vowed to try to keep that light in her partner’s eyes for as long as possible - even if she had to laugh at a few bad jokes.

“Let’s head back in, then?” Blake replied. She interlocked their fingers and tugged Yang a little towards the doors, looking back at her with a gentle smile and flushed cheeks. Yang looked back at her with a warm grin on her face now, and she nodded, allowing Blake to pull her along through the doors and back towards their dorm room.

It wouldn’t go away over night. It was something that would stay with them for as long as they live.

But they had each other to get through it. And they always will.


	41. Breakdown (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "whiterose with ruby breaking down and weiss being there for her"
> 
> premise: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 8 CHAPTER 7 DONT READ THIS IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT BECAUSE IT TAKES PLACE RIGHT AFTER THIS CHAPTER OKAY?

Ruby was down in that pit before anyone could think to stop her.

Her ears were ringing and she briefly heard both Blake and Weiss yell after her, but all she saw was Penny’s bright eyes shutting and going limp over and over in her mind and _she still wasn’t moving._

She scrambled down into the pit, almost slipping on the dirt but managing to catch herself and kneeling down next to Penny, silver eyes wild and looking all over - green liquid flooding from every part of her and invading her eyes.

Was that Penny’s _blood_?

It didn’t matter - Ruby didn’t think about it as she quickly grabbed Penny from off the ground, carrying her bridal style and turning around, both Blake and Weiss holding their arms out from the top of the small crater.

Ruby swallowed thickly at the green staining her outfit and hands and focused on lifting Penny, grunting a little as Weiss and Blake grabbed her, dragging her from the crater. Once she was safely up there, Ruby shot her way up there and allowed Blake to carry Penny the rest of the way back to Schnee Manor, her heart racing in her chest.

“What was-?”

May stopped short when they burst inside, Ruby closing the doors with a _bang_. She turned to see May looking at Penny, her eyes flitting all around her battered and bruised body. Blake held her in her arms and looked at May desperately, and then to Ruby and Weiss.

“I don’t… I don’t know what to do.” Blake said, ears pinning to her head. Ruby felt the compression in her chest, the telltale signs of tears building and she avoided Weiss’ eyes when she looked over to her, trying desperately to push down everything. Down deeper and deeper - trying to level her head as the leader of the team.

“We’ll bring her to my room. I know she’s…” Weiss trailed off and glanced around at everyone, Ruby noticing the worrisome look in her eyes towards her in the corner of her vision. “Klein might know what to do.”

Blake needed no other information than that, nodding her head and with one last glance to everyone she shot past May and Whitley at the stairs, making her way up the stairs in record time. Once she was out of sight, everyone fell silent in the foyer, Ruby purposely looking away from everyone with her jaw clenched, knowing full well if she didn’t focus on that she would lose it completely.

And they couldn’t afford for her to break now. Not now.

“Whitley, can you… Head back to your room, just for now?” Weiss said near her. Ruby glanced up to Weiss’ brother near the stairs, and he looked conflicted at the request, but Weiss’ voice was soft and whatever look the siblings shared seemed to convince him.

“Let me know if… I can help, I guess.” He tried to sound flippant, but the slight fearful look in his eye gave him away. Ruby watched as he turned his back and went back upstairs, leaving everyone else behind in the main room.

Ruby took a breath and finally raised her head, and May was still standing in the middle of the room, looking conflicted and unsure. Ruby released a long breath and glanced to her left, making eye contact with Weiss briefly, and her heart constricted at the concern in her partner’s eyes.

“I’ll see if that butler needs anything.” May finally broke the silence in a soft voice, and when Ruby turned her head to meet her eyes, May gave her a short nod. Ruby nodded back and with that, May retreated from the room and made her way upstairs as well, leaving a pair of red and white alone.

All of Ruby’s senses were yelling at her to _go_ \- go up there and look after Penny, figure out what the hell just happened and where she even _came from_. Why she hurtled from the sky and slammed into the ground, blood and bits and pieces of her flowing off of her and-

“Hey, hey. Ruby.”

Weiss’ gentle voice brought her back to reality and shook her out of her thoughts, and she only just realised her breaths were coming out short and choppy, eyes wide and body clenching up. Weiss stood in front of her and took her hands, her blue eyes searching her silver ones but Ruby had no answers to give her - had nothing to say about anything because it was _too much_.

Their broadcast was cut off, nobody knew if help was coming, Salem was invading Atlas and Mantle, they had no fucking _clue_ where Yang, Jaune, Oscar and Ren were now, and now Penny-

Ruby shook her head, silver eyes flashing briefly and she grunted, ripping her hands away from Weiss’ soft hold and clutching her head. She could feel it- the dam about to burst, the strong walls inside of her crumbling down and she willed it all to go away. Her team needed her - she was the strong one, the shoulder to lean on, the one everyone looked to.

“Ruby… Ruby, it’s okay. It’s-” Weiss started to speak, her voice shaky and somewhat scared, and Ruby couldn’t blame her when she was like _this_. And she didn’t mean to but she cut her off, brushing her shoulder past her to go towards the middle of the foyer.

“ _No_. It’s really not, is it? Everything is _falling apart_ and nothing is going right and Penny is-” Ruby whimpered as she cut off her ramblings, and she heard the quick clack of heels behind her and then soft arms wrapping around her middle, soft pressure on her back and that was really all that pushed her over the edge - realising that nothing was truly fine anymore, nothing was _going right_ and it was _all her fault_.

Ruby’s sobs came out violent and broken as she sunk to her knees on the floor, gasping and clutching at her heart. Weiss let out a soft noise behind her - surprise, anguish? Ruby didn’t know - but she heard it and then Weiss was there, in front of her and taking her properly in her arms, encouraging her to bury her face into the crook of her neck and Ruby _wailed_.

She clutched onto Weiss’ dress with white knuckles and freely sobbed, not caring for the first time if her cries echoed around the massive room and made it to the ears of the others in the house. She tried to push it all away - tried to push on, to keep going and be there for everyone else - but everything was _wrong_ and _she_ was wrong, wrong about them being able to do this, being able to save everyone-

“Ruby, Ruby… Come on.” Weiss finally spoke again, once again breaking through the doubt in her mind, her voice having absolutely no right to be that gentle in her ear. Her arms tightened around her and she held Ruby as close as possible, raising one of her gloved hands to begin carding her fingers through her cropped hair. Ruby’s sobs continued, breathless gasps escaping her but Weiss pressed on. “It’s okay. Penny will be okay, I promise.”

“You don’t- don’t- don’t _know_ that.” She gasped out, and Weiss took a steady breath, shaking her head.

“Perhaps I don’t.” Weiss said, and Ruby gripped tighter onto Weiss’ dress, face still buried in the crook of her neck and her tears dampening her skin and the material of her dress. “I really don’t, but that doesn’t matter. Don’t you remember what you said in your broadcast, Ruby?”

Ruby sucked in a few breaths, attempting to steady her breathing and slow down the sobs escaping her body. She shook her head into Weiss’ neck, mind not able to produce any sort of coherent thoughts at the moment.

Weiss pulled her away from her neck and looked right into her eyes, pressing their foreheads together and Ruby’s tears trickled down her cheeks freely, dripping onto the lower material of Weiss’ dress.

“You said, that even if things fall apart, even if Atlas falls, we can’t give up.” Weiss spoke softly to her, and the calm, soothing tone registered in her ears, the gentle threading of her fingers through her hair slowly but surely taking over the shaking of her body. “Even if things look bad, even if it seems crazy, or looks impossible, we can’t give up.”

Weiss stared back at her with warm, comforting blue eyes and Ruby held onto her like a lifeline, her sobs and shakes beginning to subside the longer Weiss spoke to her. Weiss raised a gloved hand and cupped her cheek, thumbing away the stream of tears.

“We’re together.” Weiss said. “We’re side by side, _together_ , and that’s something Salem will never take from us.”

Weiss encouraged her to follow her breathing then, taking slow, deliberate breaths, and Ruby followed her lead - inhale, exhale, rinse and repeat until her shoulders shook a bit less, her eyes slowly dried up and her thoughts weren’t a whirlwind anymore. She stayed in her spot on the floor, in Weiss’ arms, still feeling the remnants of tears clogged up in a lump in her throat and she didn’t dare move, fearing they would spill out of her again.

“Things are bad.” Weiss muttered, and Ruby closed her eyes when she pressed her lips to her head, voice muffled but no less coherent and sincere. “But that doesn’t mean it’s over. It doesn’t mean all is lost.”

Ruby took a few more deep breaths, allowing Weiss’ words to wash over her. 

There were several beats of silence between the pair until Ruby shifted herself, pulling away slightly from Weiss to look at her properly, into her eyes. They were warm, and soft and full of care and Weiss sent her a small smile to top it off, and Ruby fleetingly thought of how much Weiss had changed from those first few moments where they met.

Ruby sniffled and raised her hands to wipe at the remaining wetness around her eyes, and once she was somewhat cleaned up, she made a move to get back up off the floor. Weiss followed, but stuck close to her and made sure she looked into her eyes again.

“I’m sorry.” Ruby found herself saying, but Weiss shook her head in an instant.

“Don’t.” Weiss interrupted, reaching out to slip her hand into Ruby’s comfortingly. “I’m… Always here, Ruby. No matter what happens, no matter how many miles there could be between us… You’re my partner, you’re my best friend. My shoulder is yours to cry on if you need it.”

Ruby stared back at her, a whole new wave of emotion about to hit her at the sheer love emulating from her partner and Ruby wasn’t really sure how to handle all of that right now. All she knew was she was grateful Weiss was there - through everything, Weiss was by her side.

Ruby simply squeezed Weiss’ hand, unable to voice any of those thoughts out loud at the moment, and Weiss held the grip on her hand, maintaining soft eye contact.

“Are you okay to go see her now?” Weiss asked, and Ruby felt a prick of pain in her heart at the thought of Penny, broken and ruined in Weiss’ room. 

But Weiss was there in front of her - warmth radiating from her and she let out a small sigh, slowly nodding her head.

“I think so.” Ruby said. She glanced away for a minute - she couldn’t hide the brief hesitation in her voice, the shakiness in it at the thought of coming back to the reality outside of their little bubble in the foyer. But Weiss grasped her hand, grounding her, and Ruby met her eyes again.

“I won’t leave your side for a second.” Weiss replied, and Ruby blinked back at her, the familiar words sending her back to a simpler time before Atlas, a fluffy red scarf around Weiss’ shoulders and Ruby offering her a bright smile and promising to never leave _her_ side.

Warmth spread throughout her body at that memory, and she breathed out slowly, before nodding again and allowing a small smile to erupt on her face back at her partner.

“I know.” Ruby said softly, and Weiss nodded once, smile on her face. 

She didn’t let go of her hand all the way to her room, and she kept her promise of staying by her side as they watched over Penny and Nora.

Although all seemed lost, and they barely any plan on how to help both Atlas and Mantle, or their injured or lost friends, Ruby tried her best to push down the remaining despair and doubts in her mind.

She still had a team. She still had her friends - her family around her, some that weren’t there physically, but were still there in her heart and mind.

And with their support, she knew they’d be okay in the end.

They had to be.


	42. i'll crawl home to her (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "team JOYR barely make it out of the Monstra and they stagger to Schnee Manor because they know it's safe, and finally Blake can stop worrying about her gf because Yang is THERE and ALIVE"
> 
> premise: i mean same as the prompt really, takes place after volume 8 chapter 7
> 
> chapter title is from "work song" by hozier <3

“Yang! Yang, get up!”

Though her mind was foggy and her ears were ringing, she was able to hear the frantic, worried voice that spoke to her.

It took her a few moments to piece together that it was Jaune - next to her on the ground, where she laid on her back with her eyes closed and pain shooting up and down her body - muscles and joints aching with every subtle movement.

“ _Yang,_ we have to _go_. Can you hear me?”

That was Ren - voice strained and clipped, but definitely him. She wanted to say she could hear them both and that she was fine, but all that really came out of her was some gurgling and coughing. The metallic tang of her own blood coated her lips and in her hazy state, she tried to recall what the hell even happened.

“Ren, take her other arm.” Jaune said somewhere, and next thing she knew, she was being hauled up and her arms were placed over two bodies on either side of her, and they lead her _somewhere._

Yang grunted in pain as Ren and Jaune pulled her along. She could feel the rips and tears in her clothing and the blood seeping from the wounds there, the cuts and bruises on her face that stung even more each time she tried to open her eyes.

But she knew she had to - she was useless to her team if she couldn’t see what was happening.

So, with great difficulty, Yang slowly but surely peeled her eyes open, head throbbing when she was assaulted with so much _red_ around her - red, fleshy walls and floors and it was then that it clicked in her mind that they were still inside the Monstra - on a mission for the Ace-Ops and in search of Oscar.

“.... Wh...” Yang started, but got caught in another cough, her body protesting each step she took. She winced and tried again. “What... Happened?”

“The Hound.” Ren stated simply, and it rushed back to her - she had Oscar on her back, they were _almost out_ , then there was a flash of black that was as fast as lightning in the night sky, slamming into her. Then all she felt was pain in every part of her body and slobber and saliva drenching her clothes and face and then...

It seemed to last hours for her, but was possibly a few seconds, because then she remembered the pressure of the creature was off of her and she was laying on the floor, where Ren and Jaune had just found her.

“Oscar...” She muttered, feeling more and more tired the longer she allowed Ren and Jaune to carry her along. She could feel that they were both just as tired and banged up as her - barely holding her up, their muscles shaking against her and limps in their steps.

“He’s okay. He’s just up ahead.” Jaune said. She nodded, her eyes fluttering. She blinked them open again, willing herself to stay awake - to stay upright and in the present, in case they were ambushed again.

“Ren and I held off The Hound for a bit - it got us pretty good, but... Something strange happened.” Jaune started to explain, confusion lacing his tone at the end. Yang grunted in reply, and he continued on. “I don’t know, some sort of... Weird apparition, in the shape of Salem? And then The Hound backed off and ran away...” He trailed off and shook his head, wincing in pain.

Apparition? Of Salem?

Before she could really think too long on it, she realised they were stumbling towards the exit of the Monstra, and Oscar laid there on his back, still unconscious and beaten and bruised, and Yang sucked in a harsh breath - they almost lost him again, almost butchered their chance to save him because of that _thing_.

She gritted her teeth and pushed herself away from Ren and Jaune, and she heard Jaune sputter behind her, reaching out to her arm.

“Yang, you’re still-”

“I’m _fine_.” Yang wheezed back. She ignored them both and shakily lowered herself to the ground in front of Oscar, pain pricking her heart at his small, fragile face all battered - black and blue and red all mixed together and it made her _sick_ , bile forming in her throat at what they did to him.

Yang clenched her jaw in determination and despite her body telling her otherwise, and her eyes telling her to close them and just sleep for eternity, and her wounds - bruises and gashes alike littering her body and face - telling her to not overdo it, she couldn’t help it. 

Oscar needed them - needed her, and she wasn’t going to give up now.

She let out a deep sigh as she heaved Oscar into her arms, biting her lip at the sizzling pain as she rose back up to her feet. Ren and Jaune stood next to her, watching her intently as she manoeuvred Oscar onto her back in a piggyback style, and she turned to her friends, looking at them both.

“Let’s go.” Yang said, and although they looked like they wanted to protest and encourage her to take it easy, they both seemed to let it go in the moment - they had to move, and they didn’t have much time to do so.

They limped and staggered their way out of the Monstra, and it was absolute chaos. Grimm surrounded them all over - left, right, up and down, they flooded the Atlesian military and Atlas itself, and Yang felt a rush of fear throughout her body - _both_ of their teams were in there.

Blake was in there, _somewhere_.

“We need to get to Atlas.” Yang said, shifting Oscar on her back a little bit. Jaune and Ren looked to her.

“I don’t think my semblance will get us that far.” Ren stated, and Yang swallowed thickly, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to think of something else. She thought of Winter and the Ace-Ops, but quickly decided that wasn’t a good idea - they were on different sides of this war, and although they had a common enemy at the moment, they had very different views on how to handle said enemy.

Yang puffed out her cheeks and licked her lips, glancing at them both before looking off in the distance towards the broken outer wall of Atlas, shrugging her shoulders, biting back the wince of pain from the action.

“If Jaune amplifies it, it’ll get us closer at least, right?” Yang finally said.

“It won’t be on the door step, but it’ll be close.” Ren said, nodding a little and then turning to Jaune, who looked wary of the situation and the plan ahead. Yang looked to him and tried to offer an encouraging smile, but it probably didn’t come out the way she wanted due to the blood smearing across her face from the cuts.

“I’ll try.” Jaune replied, and with that, Jaune placed his hand on Ren and they were cloaked, masked as they shuffled their way through the sea of Grimm and Atlesian soldiers battling them, bodies and blood flying everywhere around them.

It was slow and steady, all three of them staggering and feeling the fatigue seeping into their bones by the end of it, but they eventually made it to the outer wall pretty unscathed. Once they made it inside the wall, Jaune and Ren separated from each other and almost fell over from the exhaustion, holding themselves up by placing their hands on the wall.

“You guys okay?” Yang asked, concern lacing her voice. 

“Good. Just tired.” Ren said, and Yang could hear it in his voice clear as day. Jaune simply nodded in agreement, and Yang sighed lightly, looking out towards Atlas from their spot near the wall, noticing the flying Grimm circling overhead and many on the ground searching and stalking.

“Where do we go?” Yang said. She shuffled to her right a little, looking around the alleyway they found themselves in.

“I have no idea...” Ren replied, and when Yang looked back to him, she saw he was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed, and as she got closer, she noticed he had a nasty gash in his left side, blood soaking through his green shirt.

“Shit, Ren.” Yang said, lilac eyes widening with worry. 

All three of them weren’t faring well - they were tired, beaten down, auras broken, and none of them knew where to even go from there. Yang knew both of their teams were in Atlas still - or, she hoped. She just had no idea where, and they didn’t exactly have many friends to shack up with.

“Wait.” Jaune suddenly said, and Ren opened his eyes to look at him just as Yang glanced over to him. He pointed off in the distance, towards the opposite side of Atlas. “Weiss’ family’s place. I know it’s a long shot her brother will let us in, but at least it might be safe from the Grimm. We can try it, at least.”

Yang vaguely remembered it - the disastrous dinner party that seemed many years ago to her now. Who knew if that kid would let them in, who knew what state they’d even be in by the time they got there.

At this point, though, Yang could care less.

“Let’s go, then.” Yang replied, and soon enough, they were all off again - weaving and dodging through alleyways and narrow streets, avoiding the Grimm as much as they could. She could see all of them growing more weary and fatigued the longer they staggered through the streets towards Schnee Manor, and it didn’t help that Yang had a whole extra person on her back to contend with.

She wasn’t sure how long it took them - an hour? Three? She really couldn’t be sure, but when they made the final trek towards the manor, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She breathed a sigh of relief, but her relief soon turned to confusion and slight worry when she saw a sizeable crater in the ground outside the main doors, but nothing inside of it.

She didn’t have time to really investigate it though - because just after they passed that crater, she heard Ren fall over behind her and she turned immediately, looking back at him and Jaune knelt beside him.

Whatever adrenaline she had that kept her going this whole time must have ran out at that moment, seeing her friends knelt down and broken by their tiredness. She staggered a little and stumbled over onto her knees as well, just next to them, but held tightly onto Oscar on her back.

“We made it.” Yang breathed out, but Ren’s eyes were closing and Jaune was teetering on his knees and-

“ _Yang?”_

Yang’s breath hitched in her throat, her heart doubling its speed considerably at that _voice_. The most beautiful, almost angelic voice she had ever heard in her entire life.

She shot her head up towards the main doors of the Manor, and her eyes widened at the sight of Blake standing there, just outside with her glowing, shining, beautiful amber eyes just as wide and in disbelief at seeing her there. She saw Ruby and Weiss barrelling outside behind her, their eyes expanding and relieved smiles overcoming them both.

“Blake.” Yang wasn’t sure if she shouted her name or whispered it - breathed it out like it was a prayer to the Gods, relief and love and exhilaration filling her up inside even as she felt about ready to pass out.

Blake didn’t waste any more time - she _sprinted_ forward and landed on her knees in front of her, and Ruby and Weiss were next to them - helping Oscar off of her back, helping Jaune and Ren get up. But Blake stayed where she was and held her face like she would break any second and _oh_ , Yang missed her so fucking much.

Yang looked up at her and Blake’s ears pinned to her head and her amber eyes gathered with tears. Yang’s brow crinkled and she tried to grin at her, despite how messed up her face probably looked to her partner.

“Still lookin’ good, I hope?” Yang said in a lighthearted tone, and Blake’s breath hitched into a mixture of a sob and a laugh and she shot forward to lean their foreheads together, staring straight into her eyes.

“Always.” Blake replied, and Yang’s heart fluttered as she stroked her face. Blake took a shuddering breath and a couple tears travelled down her face, and Yang was mildly annoyed at the lack of strength in both of her arms at that moment, which meant that she couldn’t wipe them away.

“I was so worried.” Blake said in a strained voice, clearly holding back more sobs in her chest. Yang swallowed thickly and nodded slightly, attempting to lean into her body more, chasing her comfort and warmth.

“I was too.” Yang said.

“When that thing came down to Atlas, I had no idea...” Blake started, shaking her head and pulling Yang closer. “I didn’t know if you were okay - I didn’t know what happened to you, or Ren or Jaune and I-”

Blake cut herself and took a few calming breaths and despite the pain, Yang shuffled forward on her knees and raised her aching arms, trying her best to wrap Blake up in them. Blake immediately sank into her and tucked her head under her chin, her furry ears tickling her jaw. Blake wrapped her arms around her midsection and they knelt there in the courtyard, breathing each other in and melting into the embrace they shared.

Yang picked up Ruby and Weiss’ voices near her, talking to Ren and Jaune. She knew she had so many things to tell them all about what happened down in the tundra - down in Mantle, and in the Monstra. There was a lot to discuss and figure out, and barely enough time to do it.

But Blake was holding her, and she was so _tired_.

“I’ll explain soon... About, you know, what happened. And why I look like shit.” Yang replied with a huff of laughter, and Blake released a soft giggle at that, nodding her head and pulling away from her to look at her properly.

“I missed you so much.” Blake whispered, and Yang felt her lips curl into a soft smile, looking all over Blake’s gentle face.

“It’s gonna take way more than this to keep me away from you.” Yang replied gently, reaching up to cup Blake’s cheek. Blake’s breath hitched once more, and her cheeks felt warm to the touch. She leaned into Yang’s hand on her cheek and breathed out another deep exhale.

“Let’s get inside. We have... A lot to catch up on.”

That was Weiss’ voice, cutting into their tender moment briefly. Yang glanced to her and noticed the worn out look on her face, the wary, anxious look in her eyes and wondered what the hell happened to _this_ group while she was away.

“Right.” Yang said, and as she attempted to raise herself up from the ground, a blur of red and the smell of rose petals wafted into the air as a body slammed into her side, almost knocking her off balance.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! I’m so sorry about-” Ruby started, but Yang just let out a tiny laugh and wrapped her arms around her sister, cupping the back of her head gently.

“It’s okay.” Yang said, and Ruby sagged with relief against her.

Blake stood up now, and together, she and Ruby held her up as they walked towards the Manor doors, Weiss helping to move Ren along while Jaune carried Oscar with him, just barely able to keep on his own two feet.

Yang felt Blake’s body pressed against her side and she welcomed it wholeheartedly - whatever doubts and fears she had back in that tundra, whatever happened from there on out - it didn’t matter.

They were together. They _all_ were, and although the road will be long and they had no clue what was in store, they were back together again - alive and safe.

And they’d never leave each other again.


	43. Protective (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "winter and the ace ops take team JYR to schnee manor instead of the monstra, and that's how the bees reunite, but blake gets overprotective seeing how vine and elm are treating yang"
> 
> premise: pretty self explanatory! spoilers for volume 8 chapter 7!!

“I still think we should take them to the General.” Harriet grumbled from the seat next to Marrow. Yang watched in silence as Winter tensed up a little at Harriet’s clipped tone towards her, and she could see the muscles twitching in Winter’s jaw when Harriet looked back to her with narrowed eyes, the two women having a stare off for several seconds until-

“I outrank you.” Winter said in a cold, unyielding tone and Harriet’s jaw clenched. Yang raised an eyebrow at the interaction, very content to just sit back and let them hash it out in front of them all. “And I’m giving the order to send them to my family home, because I believe my sister will be there.” 

Yang watched Winter turn her back on Harriet to look down at Yang, and Yang met her icy, bitter blue eyes in a heartbeat, her emotions completely unreadable to her in the moment.

“You’re part of her team, aren’t you?” Winter said.

Yang straightened herself up a little, mindful of the deathlike grip on her arms from Elm and Vine - the last time she saw these two, she and Blake pummelled them in mere seconds and sent them crashing into the floor. So, Yang mused, maybe she couldn’t exactly blame them for the animosity towards her and the hostile nature of their touch on her.

“Yeah.” Yang replied, and Winter hummed in thought, glancing away from her. Yang watched the gears turn in her head, no doubt going through the millions of reasons why one part of her sister’s team would be away from them, down in the tundra and in turn in Mantle.

Finally, Winter met her eyes again.

“I know what you all may think of me right now.” Winter said. Yang pursed her lips at what almost tumbled out of her mouth - that she was on the wrong side of this war, that she was arresting _teenagers_ who were barely adults, that she was following a man that had no interest in keeping the people safe. She had a lot of things she wanted to spit in her face, but she held back - she knew it was best to let her speak.

“But, I do love my sister.” Winter continued on, gaze as hard as steel into her lilac eyes. “And I’m aware that she and I… Don’t see eye to eye on the situation right now.”

“I’ll say.” Jaune mumbled from behind Winter, across from Yang, and Winter’s shoulders raised the tiniest bit, tensing ever so slightly again and Yang almost braced herself for what might come next.

“But that doesn’t mean she should be alone, without her full team.” Winter stated. She moved herself away from Yang to stand towards the back of the airship, placing her hands behind her back and turning around to look at Yang, then Jaune, and finally Ren. She saw Ren’s eyes widen briefly as he gazed at Winter, but before she could ask what was wrong, Winter pressed on once more. “I’m giving you this chance. Don’t blow it.”

And that was that.

The airship was deathly quiet after that, but Yang sent looks over to Jaune and Ren every so often, hoping to gauge if they should even trust this at all, hoping to figure out a back up plan in case they truly were being taken to Ironwood, possible lies spewing from Winter’s mouth.

Neither of them had nothing to give back to her, and she sighed lightly, choosing instead to look out past Harriet and Marrow’s heads, trying her best to see where the hell they even were now. It was still Atlas, that was for sure, but she could barely see if they were even on their way to Schnee Manor.

She shifted in her seat, just to get more comfortable considering how long this airship ride was taking, and Elm and Vine’s hands tightened on her. She let the wince show on her face this time, shooting a glare towards them both.

“Ease up, will ya? Not like I’m going anywhere.” Yang scoffed, and that was clearly the _wrong_ thing to say because they both shoved her against the wall of the airship, her head whipping back and hitting the harsh metal and she grunted a little, spots dancing behind her eyes as she closed them.

“Hey!” Ren snapped, and Jaune leaned forward in his seat as well, glares on both of their faces. Winter remained silent during the whole exchange, stoic and impassive while she stared ahead out of the airship’s front windows.

“We won’t make the mistake of taking our eyes or hands off of you this time.” Elm said through gritted teeth, and while Vine remained quiet, his intense, fiery stare into the side of her face was enough for her to go on with what his feelings were towards her.

Yang avoided their eyes and sighed again, shaking her head and lowering her gaze to her feet. It wasn’t long before her eyes trailed up her own leg, catching the purple bandanna wrapped around her right shin. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest - mind flashing with the image of Blake in an instant, remembering the sad look that she gave her the last time she saw her.

They didn’t get a proper goodbye, and Yang knew it was her fault. She left too angry, too blinded and caught up in the fight she had with Ruby to think about properly saying goodbye to anyone. Shame and guilt had been coiled all through her stomach ever since that moment, and although she was actually grateful for Winter to allow them this chance to see their friends again, Yang briefly wondered how she would be able to face her partner after everything that happened.

She was angry, reckless. She pushed her away, _again._

Was Blake upset with her? Just like in the tundra, she wondered if Blake would think less of her for staying in Mantle - was she disappointed in her for that?

She didn’t have much of a choice in facing Blake again, because she was soon pulled from her thoughts by the airship lowering itself to the ground, and her heartbeat quickened in her chest when Schnee Manor came into view through the front window.

She wanted to spring up to look at it, to really drink in the fact that she was about to be reunited with her team again - with Nora too. Blake’s smile and her shining amber eyes replayed again and again in her mind despite her worries and she wanted so badly to rush out there to knock down those double doors.

But Vine and Elm gripped her arms and hauled her violently out of the seat when they landed, and she grunted in pain at their fingers digging into both of her shoulders. She gritted her teeth as the door slid open, Vine and Elm pushing her outside and onto her knees roughly, knees scraping against the rough ground and tearing into her pants. 

“Hey, leave her alone!” Jaune said, and although he was bound behind his back, he knelt down next to her to look into her eyes. She heard Elm scoff behind her and they both hauled her up again.

“She can handle a little roughhousing, can’t she?” Elm said, voice dripping with false kindness and sarcasm, shoving Yang forward. She almost stumbled again, but Winter’s hand closed around her shoulder to steady her. 

“Let’s go.” Was all Winter said, clearly not concerned about the mishandling that Elm and Vine were more than happy to perform on her. She sucked in a harsh breath as she was shoved forward again, Jaune and Ren walking alongside her as they approached the doors.

Winter raised her hand and knocked on the door, and then, they waited.

They waited for a very long time, and Elm and Vine didn’t let up their harsh grip on her in the slightest. She felt their emotions through their fingers - digging into her shoulders, searing their anger, pain and frustration for her into her skin and burning her inside. It was painful, feeling all of that at once and she chose to remain as impassive as possible despite how her tired body protested against their touches.

Winter raised her hand to knock for the third time, and it seemed that Elm was about ready to shove the door down with her whole body before the doors finally swung open, and Yang saw Winter’s shoulders tense up at the sight of Weiss, standing there while flitting her eyes all over everyone’s faces with so much confusion.

“Winter?” Weiss breathed out in disbelief, but Winter just simply nodded to her and then gestured to Yang, Jaune and Ren. Weiss blinked several times, and when her eyes made their way to Yang, then Jaune and Ren, relief flooded her face and she leaned out of the door.

“You’re _back_.” She said and Yang had to admit that the happy smile that adorned her lips was actually really sweet. But before Yang could smile back and crack a joke at all, she was reminded about the two people holding onto her like two snakes coiled tightly around her limbs, suffocating her. When Winter motioned for everyone to move inside, Elm and Vine all but threw her inside the Manor and if it weren’t for Weiss in the doorway, her delicate hands catching her shoulders, she would have fallen flat on her face.

“Hey! How about you-” Weiss began, fury in her icy blue eyes but was soon cut off by a heavy gasp from behind her. Yang’s eyes widened and she shot her head up.

“ _Yang.”_

Blake was there, at the bottom of the grand staircase and Ruby wasn’t far behind, her sister stopped halfway down the set of stairs with shock, confusion and disbelief all rolled into one on her face.

But her eyes strayed back to Blake, who looked back at her with relief in her beautiful amber orbs and Yang’s heart soared to the skies when her lips bloomed into a smile, all doubts and worries leaving her in an instant when she saw it.

“What is- Why are _they_ here?” Ruby suddenly piped up, looking at the Ace-Ops with narrowed eyes. “What is going on?” She said. She rushed down the stairs towards everyone, looking between them all and then finally settling on Winter, who simply gazed back with barely any indication of her feelings on the matter.

“My sister means a lot to me.” Winter stated, and Weiss glanced over to her, her eyes shimmering. “I’m aware we’re not all on the same page here, but I… Don’t want her to be at a disadvantage if Grimm get this far in. She needs her full team with her… Even I am not so blind as to not see that, now.”

Yang heard all of this, but it barely registered to her what was actually happening because Blake was _there_ \- she was _there_ in front of her again with that smile that did wonders to Yang’s heart rate and a flush on her cheeks that Yang hoped was from the sight of her and not the cold rushing in from outside.

She tried to move towards her, but all that got her was a tightened grip and a kick to the back of her knee, a cry escaping her as she tumbled to the floor on one knee, pain rushing through her. She heard a few gasps again, but the loudest sound was the quick clacking of heels and then Blake was right there with her on the floor.

“What the hell are you _doing_?” Blake seethed, ears pulling back and a growl in her tone and _oh_ , Yang thought as she flitted her eyes up to her - there was a fire in her eyes that Yang had only seen a handful of times, and although it wasn’t the best time, probably, it still made Blake look utterly attractive and any pain she felt in that moment was muffled due to the soft touch of her hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, I’m okay.” Yang said softly, and Blake’s ears flicked towards her voice. Her eyes met hers and Yang tried to smile at her, but Blake’s fire wasn’t easily extinguished at the sight of how her partner was being treated. So, she looked back up to Elm and Vine.

“This one has been trouble ever since we boarded the airship.” Elm said gruffly, and Yang saw the flick to Blake’s right ear - the narrowing of her eyes, and she saw Ruby and Weiss flank her as well, glares in their eyes at the Ace-Ops. Blake’s touch was gone all of a sudden and she stepped around Yang on the floor to get in Elm’s face, the giant of a woman not deterred, but Yang saw the determined and unflinching stance of her partner and knew she wasn’t the least bit concerned with the extreme height different.

“Unbind her. _Right now.”_ Blake growled, jaw setting in determination as she stared right into Elm’s eyes, and when Yang straightened herself back up, her hand laid itself on her shoulder again. Elm and Vine looked to each other, then to Winter, and Winter finally gave the order - motioned for them to unbind all three of them as Weiss pulled her aside to talk with her, and Ruby watched with a hand closed on Crescent Rose just near Blake and Yang, always at the ready.

The two Ace-Ops reluctantly untied all three of them, leaving Yang for last and when her hands were finally free, Elm gripped the back of her neck in a tight hold and swiftly hauled her up, a grunt of pain escaping her throat. Blake’s ears pulled back and she unsheathed Gambol Shroud in an instant, so quick and smooth that Elm didn’t seem to register that the blade was against her throat until Blake snarled in her face.

“Let her go, _right_ now.” Blake said. Elm growled in frustration and her grip finally loosened off of Yang. She stumbled forward a little, but Blake caught her in her arms and Ruby helped her straighten herself back up. They all turned to face Elm and Vine again, and just at that moment, Winter returned to them all with a determined set of icy blue eyes and Weiss with sad, downtrodden ones as she stood by her team.

“I’m giving you this chance, remember.” Winter stated again, and with that, they were off - leaving them behind with a few glares from Elm and Vine, and a slam of the double doors that echoed throughout the foyer and into their ears.

There was a moment of silence until they all broke - the whole team, and Jaune and Ren, closing in and gathering in a large group hug, relieved smiles and whispers echoing around the group.

“Jaune, and Ren…” Weiss said tentatively after they all had pulled away, and Yang’s brows furrowed at the look in Ren’s eyes, who seemed to widen just slightly as he looked at Weiss.

“Nora?” Ren replied, and with a confused look from everyone, he elaborated a bit more. “It’s… Hard to explain right now, but I can… _see_ what you’re feeling, right now. It’s… Weird, and new, but I can tell something is wrong.”

Yang blinked at this new development, and she briefly glanced to Blake, who was stuck to her side with her eyes locked on Ren.

“That’s… Something we can talk about later. But, just… Come to my bedroom.” Weiss replied tiredly, and with that they followed Weiss up the stairs, leaving Yang, Blake and Ruby together down in the foyer of the Manor.

Ruby swung herself around and launched herself into her arms, and Yang chuckled a little, cupping the back of her head gently and holding her as close as possible, resting her head against the top of Ruby’s.

“I missed you so much. I’m sorry… About-” Ruby said, her voice wavering and Yang shook her head immediately, tightening her grip around her sister.

“It’s okay. We’re okay.” Yang replied, and Ruby let out a shaky breath, nodding into her chest. She soon pulled away from her, and Yang sent her a soft smile, one that Ruby returned as she wiped at her eyes.

There was a beat, with Ruby looking between her and Blake, until recognition filled her silver eyes and she laughed awkwardly, backing up a little and gesturing wildly behind her.

“ _Right_. Um, just gonna, _not_ be here right now… We can catch up more later, okay bye!” Ruby quickly said and she was soon a burst of rose petals and gone in an instant up the stairs, leaving behind the faint scent of roses that enveloped the duo still in the foyer.

Yang breathed out a huff of laughter at her sister’s antics, but the air was stolen from her lungs when a body slammed into her, arms snaking their way around her neck and a head burying itself into her shoulder.

“You’re okay.” Blake breathed into the skin of her neck, sending goosebumps up and down her whole body. She took a breath and wound her arms around her waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other - fitting together like perfect puzzle pieces that were separated for far too long. “When the Grimm began flooding Atlas… I didn’t know what to think.”

Warmth flooded every part of her as Blake nuzzled into her neck, and Yang smiled gently, leaning back a bit to press her lips into her hair, her furry ears twitching upon contact.

“A few Grimm won’t keep me away from you.” She whispered into her raven locks and Blake’s breath stuttered in her neck, but her arms tightened around her and she nodded, her ears lowering themselves on her head. Yang licked her lips and swallowed thickly, cracking open her lips to whisper, “I’m sorry… For how I left things. I’m…” She trailed off, but Blake’s violent shake of her head cut her off.

“It doesn’t matter.” Blake replied, and she pulled away from her neck to look up at her, a gentle smile on her lips. Her hands raised to her cheeks and cupped them, Yang’s cheeks heating up at the softness in Blake’s expression - aimed at _her_ , and only her.

“I’m just so happy you’re back, and that you’re safe.” Blake said in a soft tone.

Yang’s lips curled into a smile and she nodded, leaning in to press their foreheads together as Blake began caressing her warm cheeks with her thumbs. Yang looked into her dazzling golden eyes and held her close to her in her arms, not daring to ever let go again.

“And I’m not leaving again. I promise.” Yang replied, and Blake’s smile widened, and that was all Yang needed to see. All she needed was Blake in her arms, her gentle smile aimed towards her and her soft words enveloping her in a warm embrace, and she knew right then and there that whatever happened before didn’t matter.

No matter what Salem brought to them, no matter what the Ace-Ops did to them, they would find their way back - each and every time.

And they wouldn’t let themselves get separated again. 


	44. there's a quiet place (in my embrace) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "take it easy, you're still hurt." with hurt yang!
> 
> premise: it's basically a sort of sequel to the chapter titled "i'll crawl home to her", but it also makes sense on its own if you dont feel like reading that one. it's short and sweet, sorry about that! spoilers for volume 8 chapter 7, briefly!
> 
> chapter title is from "home" on the rwby volume 4 soundtrack <3

Yang still couldn’t believe they had made it.

The Hound had gotten them all pretty good in that beast - blood and bruises littering all of their faces and bodies, and Yang’s clothes were ripped and shredded all over. Ren had a gash in his side, and Oscar was still passed out.

Things were bad, she knew that. They were tired, hungry, very close to losing their minds and their lives.

But then their trek had stopped, and they were at Schnee Manor, and then Blake was there in front of her on her knees, holding her face delicately as if she would splinter into a million pieces. Blake was _there -_ her eyes looking into hers with so much relief and adoration, and her arm had wrapped around her when she stood up, Ruby on her other side to limp her along towards the Manor.

“I’ll get you two to my room.” Weiss said as they all stood in the main foyer of the manor, gesturing to Ren and Jaune, who were practically falling asleep and losing themselves each second that passed. But Jaune slightly nodded, and with aid from Ruby, who carried Oscar on her back as well, they held onto Ren and Jaune and escorted them upstairs towards Weiss’ room.

Yang’s eyes followed them as they went, fluttering ever so slightly as the fatigue from earlier seeped into her bones, and she groaned a little, wobbling on her feet and Blake’s grip tightened around her. Concerned amber orbs met hers and Yang cracked a grin, half-shrugging.

“Haven’t felt this out of it since I drank that... What was it called?” Yang mumbled, blinking her eyes open when they threatened to close again. “Fire something... At the club, with FNKI.” Yang flicked her eyes back to Blake’s, and her partner still looked concerned and her ears pressed down to her head.

“Let me help you up the stairs.” Was what Blake said in response, and Yang felt a frown tug at her lips when Blake looked away from her to bring her closer to the stairs.

In the less foggy parts of her brain, a few of her brain cells connected together to get her to realise that Blake was only worried - was only making sure she was okay, and wanted to take care of her and get her to a place to rest. And it made sense why she would, considering the state of her.

But her wounds didn’t matter to her when Blake was pressing against her side and her warmth spread through her, the soft scent that was just _Blake_ floating around them and enveloping them in a tight hug. Her touch was soft and _Gods_ , Yang had missed her so much and she just wanted a _minute_ with her, after everything they had been through.

“Wait.” Yang said, practically a whisper, and she stumbled out of Blake’s hold as they started ascending the stairs. A noise of protest escaped Blake’s throat and she reached out to steady Yang on the steps, saving her from face planting and adding a cracked head into the mix.

“ _Yang_.” Blake said, tone laced with worry and Yang grunted as she held her back up, leaning her against her and looking up at her. She gazed imploringly into her eyes and Yang winced a shot of pain up her side.

“Take it easy, you’re still hurt.” Blake said pleadingly.

Yang blinked herself awake yet again, trying to focus on Blake’s eyes and her melodic voice travelling through her ears. Yang took a breath and leaned more heavily against Blake, her partner blinking in surprise and colour flooding her cheeks when Yang buried her face into the crook of her neck, shoulders relaxing when her arms wrapped around her gently.

“Just... A minute.” Yang muttered into her skin. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, reaching her tired arms out to lay them around Blake’s shoulders, encouraging her to hold onto her even more tightly so she didn’t fall over. She hummed in content, a spark of pride filling her when she felt Blake’s pulse quicken under the light brush of her lips on her neck as she shifted closer to her.

“Yang.” Blake said, shaky and unsure and Yang just made a noncommittal noise into her neck, squeezing around her shoulders briefly.

“Blake.” Yang said in a breathy tone, and she heard Blake’s hitch in her throat.

“You need to rest.” Blake replied, and Yang whined childishly when she tried to pull away from her to continue their battle with the stairs. She tightened her hold and shook her head ever so slightly.

“ _Please_.”

Blake stopped her movements, and whether it was Yang’s hold on her that did it, or the broken crack in her voice when she uttered that word, Yang was thankful for whatever caused her to still.

“I just...” Yang started, before exhaling shakily and shifting her hand to cup the back of Blake’s head, threading her fingers into her raven locks. “Let me... Hold you... for a bit longer.”

Her voice was slurring as the cold embrace of unconsciousness tried desperately to overtake her in that moment but she battered it away, narrowing her focus on Blake again as the faunus swallowed, letting out a shaky laugh and beginning to rub her hand up and down Yang’s back.

“Okay.” Blake whispered back to her and her heart leapt in her chest, a little happy smile adorning her lips as she hummed again, snuggling closer to her partner. Blake huffed a laugh, and Yang could imagine she was rolling her eyes, but she made no move to pull away from her, which Yang considered a success.

A giddy feeling filled up her chest as she squeezed around Blake, a small giggle filling her ear from her partner, the sound sending her heart even further into bliss. Blake raised her hand and began carding her fingers through Yang’s golden mane and Yang couldn’t help but let out a sigh of pleasure, her breath ghosting over Blake’s skin. Her partner shivered from the contact, and Yang felt herself becoming more and more sluggish by the minute, bruises aching on her face and cuts and gashes all over her upper body and legs, but all she wanted to do was stay there with Blake on those stairs - stay there in her comforting embrace and forget all the shit outside, all the things going wrong and all the enemies they’ve made and just live inside Blake’s arms.

But, life wasn’t so simple, and she knew Blake was going to start fussing over her wounds very soon.

So, Yang breathed out another sigh and reluctantly pulled herself away, blinking her eyes open once again to meet Blake’s gaze. Her cheeks were a light pink, and her ears flicked happily on her head when Yang’s eyes caught hers, an adorable smile on her face.

Yang smiled back at her and nodded a little towards the top of the stairs, sighing lightly when Blake wrapped her arm around her back to start their ascent again, each step more and more excruciating than the last.

“You’re doing great.” Blake encouraged in her ear.

“I’m sure you... Ah... Say that to all the injured girls.” Yang teased back, and was delighted when she was awarded another giggle from her partner, feeling her fingers dig ever so slightly into her side at the lighthearted joke - enough to feel pressure, but not enough to hurt.

“If you can’t see how special you are by now, Yang Xiao Long, I clearly need to try harder.” Blake shot back, and Yang’s cheeks flushed a deep red, her partner smirking at her at the reaction.

Yang averted her eyes and shook her head, but a lopsided grin made its way to her lips as she allowed Blake to lead her up the last bit of stairs, beginning their trek down the hallway to Weiss’ bedroom.

It was a long journey from that monster to Schnee Manor - and an even longer one to get up those stairs, if she were being honest. But Blake was by her side again, helping her along and being the anchor she needed. And when they entered the bedroom to see everyone all together again, with Ruby and Weiss smiling at her and Blake forcing her to sit and rest so she could help tend to her wounds with Klein, Yang knew this was where they were all meant to be.

Together.

And they weren’t going to separate again. 


	45. By Your Side (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: people at beacon find out yang is raven's daughter and proceeds to be bullied for it/cardin makes comments to her and blake sticks up for her.
> 
> premise: pre-volume 3 beacon bees, just after burning the candle in my mind i guess?? so like, a bit of a canon divergence where there's an extra day after burning the candle before the dance actually happens if that makes sense.
> 
> this is for @cartoontalks on tumblr <3

It was just after Professor Oobleck's class, just before noon, when she heard the whispers start.

She noticed the looks being thrown her way, the disgust and judgement written across everyone's faces. She was on her own at that moment as she walked through the halls, and she felt every single pair of eyes zero in on her as she did so, causing her to clutch her books tight to her chest, brows furrowing as the murmurs increased in volume. Her skin prickled when she caught the tail end of someone's sentence, her blood running cold as she heard:

"... Can't believe she's her daughter... I've heard the rumours about that tribe."

Yang's heart stopped in her chest and she froze mid-step, whirling towards the crowd of girls just near her, where those words had been spoken. Their eyes flicked away from Yang as she looked back at them, actively avoiding her searching gaze. Yang blinked as the girls moved away, throwing looks behind their shoulders at her as she followed them with her eyes, cold dread settling all around her.

Were they talking about...?

Yang swallowed thickly and swiftly turned around, but didn't get very far down the hallway until another group of kids passed by her - a group of boys she didn't recognise, but they all stared right at her with wide eyes, pressing themselves closer to the wall as she passed by.

"Shit... It's her..." One boy whispered, and she clenched her jaw, ignoring the disgust in his tone.

"Who, Xiao-Long?" Another boy said, and the previous boy shushed him harshly when her eyes caught theirs, both of theirs wide and fearful.

"Didn't you hear what Harkon said? He overheard her and that... Belladonna girl, talking about her mom. It's _Raven Branwen."_ One of the boys said, and she didn't stick around to hear the rest - she sped up her feet until she was practically _running_ down the hallways and ignoring everyone's eyes on her, but she was soon honed in on by another random group not that far from the dorm room.

A boy suddenly cut her off in the middle of the hallway, a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye that made her skin crawl.

"Hey, Xiao-Long." He said, and Yang backed up a little as he entered her personal space, a sick feeling rolling around in her stomach at the look on his face.

"What?" She replied sharply, and he nodded towards his friend, who swiftly blocked off her escape behind her, her back hitting his front and then they surrounded her, pushing her towards the wall just to her left. She grunted when she hit it, anger flaring up inside of her at the cackles that escaped them both.

"What's wrong?" One of the boys sneered at her, leaning in close to her. "Thought your mom would have taught you a thing or two about fighting back."

Dread and despair spread throughout her chest when they laughed at her again, and she desperately wanted to fight back - to scream in their faces, push them away and slam them into the ground to teach them not to mess with her. But something grabbed hold of her and wouldn't let her go - paralysing her as they continued to shove her around, sneering and jeering insults in her face. 

"Is it true she skins her victims and hangs them up inside her tent?" One of the boys said, and she finally snapped out of the cold embrace that held her against that wall and growled, red flaring up in her eyes as she shoved them both of her way, causing them both to stumble, but it did nothing to quell their laughter as Yang sprinted away from them.

She didn't look back even as more and more people whispered about her, hearing the disgust in their voices and the horrendous rumours about her mother being spread around - things about her being cruel and barbaric, stealing from the poor for her own gains, she even overheard someone saying that she ordered her bandits to take a girl hostage in order to get a ransom from her family - all lies and slander that even _Yang_ knew were outlandish and messed up, even if her mother _was_ cruel and heartless at times. She knew she wasn't saving cats from trees or donating to charity with her tribe - she had abandoned Yang when she was a _child_ , for fucks sake. But she didn't believe she was like _that._

She didn't stop until she was back at the dorm room. She opened up the door and swiftly closed it behind her, leaning back on it and breathing heavily, looking up at the ceiling as her stomach churned with unease and fear gripped her heart.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the door, shaking it a little.

People knew. Someone listened in on her private conversation with Blake in that empty classroom, and they knew she was _obsessed_ with finding her mom - the estranged, cruel, bandit leader Raven Branwen that abandoned her as a child and left to lead a group of evil mercenaries. It wasn't just Blake that knew now, and her heart sunk down into her stomach as she thought of what Ruby and Weiss would think about all of this.

She hadn't told Ruby... A whole lot about her search for Raven, because her sister had enough to deal with at Beacon, learning how to be a Huntress and being the leader of the team, being so young in a school full of older and more experienced people. She didn't need Yang's baggage added onto that.

And Weiss... Who the hell knew what she was going to think of it all. She had been getting better recently with her judgements of others, slowly but surely warming up to them all as her friendship with Ruby deepened, which Yang was thankful for. But she had absolutely no _clue_ if Weiss would understand why she didn't say anything, why she planned to keep it mostly to herself for as long as possible. 

But now, it was out. Someone spread it, and she had to deal with the consequences.

"... Yang?"

She jumped at the soft voice, head whipping down and eyes opening.

"Are you okay?" Blake said with concerned amber eyes, her partner closing her book and shifting on her bed, as if about to get up and come over to her to see her up close. Yang gulped and licked her dry lips, nodding her head and plastering a shaky smile on her face, pushing herself away from the door.

"Yeah! All good. I just... Saw Port in the hall and did _not_ want another story time from back in the day you know?" Yang replied, averting her eyes from Blake's as she walked over to her bunk. She intended to leave it at that and just nap for a while, to try her best to deal with everything later, but Blake didn't seem convinced in the slightest.

"Did something... Happen?" Blake asked before she could retreat to her bunk, and her eyes glanced down to Blake, who sat at the edge of her bed to look up at her with inquisitive, but not pressuring, eyes and a soft look on her face. Yang stared back at her for another second, the words suddenly on the tip of her tongue as she gazed into the comforting eyes of her partner, wanting desperately to unload this on her so she wasn't going through it alone.

But, Blake had her own things on her mind - and it wouldn't be fair if Yang added onto that.

So, instead, she sighed a little and cracked another smile, swinging herself up onto her bunk and flopping onto her back, laying her arms underneath her head.

"S'all good, Blakey. No worries." Yang replied as cheerfully as she could.

She heard another shuffle down below, as if Blake was going to get off of her bed to continue their conversation face to face, but after a minute the shuffling stopped, and Yang relaxed into her pillow, blowing out a breath and staring up at the ceiling.

It would blow over, she thought.

***

It did not blow over. In fact, by lunch that day - just after 1 pm when the whole gang met together in the cafeteria - it had gotten even worse than Yang could have imagined.

Somehow, none of her teammates had become aware of the rumours and comments being spread about her and her mother. Blake was with her in their dorm room all morning with her book, and she was soon told after Ruby and Weiss had gotten to the dorm room that they took a detour after class to go into the city to the music store - something about Ruby _needing_ to buy a particular CD, and Weiss tagging along despite claiming that she was forced to go.

So, for a mere hour or two, she was spared from having to explain anything to her teammates about the things going on around the school involving her, but she knew it wasn't going to last very much longer. And as she stabbed into the next bit of her salad to bring to her mouth, she almost choked when someone shoved her from behind, almost sending her flying out of her chair.

"Wha- _Hey!"_ Weiss shrieked, and Yang whipped her head up to glare at the boy cackling at Yang's reaction, highfiving his friend along their way down to the other side of the cafeteria. 

"Yang, are you okay?" Ruby piped up, and Yang met her wide, child-like silver eyes and she pursed her lips, clearing her throat and plastering another smile on her face, nodding.

"Of course. Just some jerks I humiliated in a spar the other day. Guess they wanted to get back at me." Yang replied easily, the lie smooth through her teeth as she looked back at her sister. Ruby didn't look too convinced, neither did Weiss, but neither of them said much else as they returned to their food. She was about to do the same with her own, when a pinch to her thigh under the table caught her attention, her eyes shooting to the girl at her side, her amber eyes narrowed at her and her head tilted curiously, bow slightly twitching on her head.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Blake mouthed to her, and her hand closed around her arm softly, looking into her eyes with so much worry that Yang had to take a moment to collect herself before spilling everything, _again_.

She took a breath to steady herself, and sent a nod her way, hoping to quell Blake's concerns somehow. They all had too much to deal with, and they didn't need Yang's issues to get in the way of all of that - there was no need to burden anyone else, because she'd be fine.

Maybe.

Their moment was interrupted by a few girls walking by their table, sending looks towards her and narrowed eyes full of disgust.

"Don't know why she's even at this school. She should just run back to her bandit mother and take up that life instead." One girl scoffed, and the other girl hummed her agreement, Yang's heart speeding up when everyone's eyes whipped to her.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, and Yang glanced to her, but couldn't get many words out before more and more people sauntered by the table to say their respective comments about her.

"Heard her mom threatened Ozpin to get her into Beacon. Fucked up." 

"No wonder she's so aggressive sometimes for no reason."

"She beat me up real bad in sparring the other day - must be genetic."

The whispers and stares increased more and more and Yang's throat closed up at the desperate stares from all of her teammates, hoping to get some answers from her about what the hell was going on. Her chest constricted and she shook her head, lump forming in her throat as tears threatened her eyes.

"What is going on?" Blake suddenly growled, and Yang looked to her, slight surprise filling her at the anger lingering in her sharp amber eyes, grip tight on the table. "They're saying awful things about you! That's not _right_." Blake snapped, standing herself up from the table and Yang shot her hand out, clasping around her wrist in a gentle but firm grip, looking up at her with pleading lilac eyes.

" _No_. Don't." Yang said, and Blake looked down at her bewildered, looking between her eyes. "It's fine, I'm fine. They'll get over it, soon."

"Get over _what_?" Weiss said. 

Yang swallowed thickly and looked over to her across the table, then to Ruby sitting next to her with those same wide silver eyes towards her, both of them imploring her to tell them what was even happening.

"I..." Yang started, trailing off and sighing, pulling her hand away from Blake's wrist. Her partner sat down again, thankfully, but Yang's eyes fell to her untouched food in front of her, eyes becoming interested in a piece of lettuce. "Blake and I... Talked about something personal the other day, and someone overheard and must have... Looked into it, or something. And spread it around, so now..."

Blake let out a soft gasp next to her, but Yang still didn't look up at any of them, shame falling over her shoulders at what she was about to reveal to Ruby and Weiss - especially Ruby.

"It was about Raven... My birth mom." Yang said gently, flicking her eyes up to gauge their reactions, noticing Weiss' curious gaze and Ruby's face full of sadness at the state of her big sister. Yang licked her lips and looked back down. "Raven Branwen."

"Branwen...?" Weiss said, before she gasped as well and a hand flew to her mouth, blue eyes widening at Yang. "Isn't she-"

"Yes." Yang cut her off, looking off down the cafeteria when a larger group entered it, her heart stopping when she saw Cardin amongst that group. If she knew anything, she knew that rumours like this one would get to his ears one way or another. And when his eyes met hers across the room and a mirthful smirk crossed his face, Yang knew right then and there that something bad was going to happen.

"She's... A bandit leader, or something." Yang muttered, shrugging helplessly at the look in Ruby and Weiss' eyes. "I've been... Searching for her, trying to get answers, but... I haven't had many leads."

Ruby stared at her with an unreadable expression, and Yang was about to open her mouth to say something - _anything_ to comfort her sister about what she just said, but Blake beat her to the punch. 

"It doesn't _matter_." Blake cut into the conversation, Yang's eyes flitted her partner, whose eyes were narrowed in anger and her jaw clenched. "That was... A private conversation, and just because Yang's mom... Is someone like that, doesn't mean Yang is a monster. I've seen... Monsters before, and Yang would _never_ be one of them."

Yang blinked as Blake's hand closed around hers on the table, her unwavering amber eyes meeting hers. 

"Of course not." Weiss piped up. "I never... Thought that, I just- it was a shock, that's all." She quickly explained, and when she looked over, she watched as Ruby and Weiss' hands both closed around her other hand on the table.

Ruby smiled at her, warm and soft and loving and Yang felt her heart warm up at that, and even more so when she saw the same type of look on Weiss' face - open and honest and gentle towards her and Yang was struck with how grateful she was to have a group like this, helping her through her issues and being there for her when she needed it. Three anchors keeping her grounded in the abyss.

But, soon that comfort was ripped away when Cardin stomped over and squeezed himself in between Ruby and Weiss, breaking them apart to lay his hands flat on the table, looking straight down at her with that same insufferable smirk on his face and glint in his eye.

"Hey, Xiao-Long." Cardin sneered, and she felt Blake tense at her side, but Yang simply sat and stared up at him, narrowing her eyes as her blood began to boil at the little laugh he released. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"What do you want, Cardin?" Yang replied, and his smirk just grew, despite the seething glares sent his way by the girls at the table.

"Oh, nothing." Cardin said, tapping the table with his fingers before leaning in closer to her. "Though, I was wondering something."

Yang's body heated up, and she felt the rims of her eyes turning red as he geared up for whatever he was going to say to her, the tips of her hair turning more vibrant as her anger doubled. 

"Just wondering if you had your mom's number or something for when I _really_ need some help in the battlefield." Cardin said, and the fire in Yang's blood was practically extinguished when he continued, her body growing cold as he said, "Oh, wait... How could you? When she _left_ you."

Yang's throat closed up. Her chest was sent back to that paralysed, constricted feeling and she reeled herself back slowly, but Cardin continued to advance on her, almost leaning completely over the table to dig his words deeper into her skin, into her heart and into her mind.

" _Abandoned_ you, isn't that right?" He said, and he ignored the indignant sounds coming from Ruby and Weiss near him, both of them standing up and turning towards him with anger in their eyes. "And who could blame her, huh? Look how you turned out-"

Yang wasn't entirely sure what happened next, but there was a blur of black and suddenly Cardin cried out in pain as his hand was gripped tightly on the table. He snapped himself back, but the nails digging into his hand made it harder for him to completely retreat. He grunted and looked back at the person responsible, meeting fiery amber orbs and a deadly glare from the partner at her side.

"I would leave, _right now_ , before these nails do much worse to that sorry excuse for a face." Blake seethed through clenched teeth, Yang blinking when she tightened her grip on his hand. A pathetic whimper escaped his throat, and when he still said nothing in response, Blake raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to spell it out for your thick skull? If you _talk_ about Yang like that again, or even _think_ of her in any way, this hand won't be the only thing you'll have to worry about."

Yang blinked again as she leaned over the table to stare right into Cardin's fearful eyes, whispers and stares being sent their way by all the other students. But no one moved a muscle to stop any of it, no one did anything but watch as Blake ripped into the man in front of them.

"Leave her alone. Do I make myself clear?" Blake said in a cold, calm and collected tone and finally that did the trick - Cardin swiftly nodded his head and whimpered again when Blake let go of his hand, taking her nails out of his skin, leaving harsh, red indents in his knuckles. He stumbled himself away from the table, fear in his eyes as he rubbed his hand, motioning to his friends to follow him as he all but ran away from the group.

There was a beat of silence, before more whispers and chatter overtook the cafeteria, a few people glancing over to them, but mostly people kept to themselves, avoiding the gazes of the team and going back to their own conversations and meals.

Blake stayed standing, but the tension in her body seeped out of her and she sighed lightly. Yang looked up at her, many thoughts and emotions floating around inside of her but she wasn't able to pinpoint any specifically in that moment, too overwhelmed and caught off guard by what just happened.

"Maybe we should... Head back to the dorm. Take a break, you know?" Ruby suddenly cut in, and Weiss hummed her agreement.

Blake's eyes found hers, and her lip curled up in the hint of a smile as she offered her hand to her and _wow_ , Yang's stomach flip-flopped all over the place when she took her up on that offer, her partner leading her as they all abandoned their lunches to go back to the dorm room - their safe space, the place where Yang didn't need to worry about these rumours, or Cardin or anyone else.

It was there, in that dorm room, after Ruby and Weiss had left to get everyone some cookies - which definitely wasn't Ruby's idea, of course - where Yang had looked at Blake and saw that same comforting smile and broke down, startling her when she wrapped her arms around her in an instant, burying her head into the crook of her neck and closing her eyes, relief and warmth flooding her when Blake hugged her back in a heartbeat.

"Yang...?" Blake said carefully.

Yang took a deep breath and pressed herself a bit closer to her.

"Thank you." Yang mumbled into her neck, and under normal circumstances she would have teased Blake about the goosebumps that her breath produced on the skin there, but considering what had happened back at that cafeteria, she stayed silent about it. Instead, she squeezed her arms around Blake and sniffled a little, feeling the onslaught of tears threatening to overtake her. "For, you know... What happened with Cardin."

"Oh, Yang..." Blake breathed out, and she tightened her arms around her as well, raising a hand to thread them through Yang's hair delicately, leaning her head against hers. "Listen... We all know who Yang Xiao Long is. We all know that even if your mom _was_ that kind of person, that doesn't mean you are." Blake said, and Yang's breath hitched when she felt her lips press into her head, her words washing over her with a softness Yang wasn't used to seeing from Blake. "You're... Amazing, and kind and funny, and Cardin was wrong."

Yang's heart fluttered when Blake encouraged her to pull away from her briefly, looking in her eyes with determination despite the flush on her partner's cheeks - which, okay, was _so cute_.

"Raven missed out on seeing the amazing person you would become." Blake said gently, her hands grasping her own between their bodies. "And although I don't know much about Summer yet, what you told me about her makes me believe that she was more of a mother to you than Raven ever could be. And I hope... Maybe, you'll tell me more about her one day. When you're ready."

Yang blinked at her partner's words, but soon found herself smiling a little and nodding, a grin making its way to Blake's face in return.

There was a lot Blake didn't know about her yet. And there was certainly much more that Blake hadn't told her either.

But that was okay. Because, over time, Yang knew they'd learn about each other. They would learn, and grow with each other, and even if obstacles are thrown in their way by other people, or by their pasts, Yang knew as long as she had Blake, and her team, by her side, things would turn out okay.

She wouldn't turn out like Raven.

Not ever.


	46. it's you, it's me, it's us (Frozen Steel)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: post v8 frozen steel with "we lost our soulmate"
> 
> i tried my best with this one lol i hope people enjoy it even if it's pretty sad, im sorry :(
> 
> PLEASE BE AWARE THERE IS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS ONE , MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND INJURY AND VIOLENCE AND STUFF SO BE CAREFUL
> 
> title is from the show haunting of bly manor, like it's just the saying in that show but also a wonderful song writer named Reinaeiry made an original song based on the coupling of jamie and dani from that show, called "it's you, it's me, it's us" which is mostly what im loosely referencing with this title if that makes sense.

Salem had retreated.

It was something Ruby never expected would happen, especially when she was _winning_ the fight against them, pushing further and deeper into Atlas with her Grimm and tearing the city apart piece by piece.

But, for the moment, with the Whale exploded into bits all over the city, Salem seemed weakened enough that she withdrew. The Grimm also pulled out of the city, almost being called by an inaudible voice to retreat and fall back.

It was amazing news. And everyone was together again - Team RWBY, Team JNOR, Uncle Qrow and Robyn, Happy Huntresses included, and even Winter and Marrow had stuck around to aid them, defecting from the Ace-Ops to oppose Ironwood.

But, not everything was fine.

“She needs help.” She heard next to her in the Happy Huntress’ den down in Mantle, where she had been staring down at the green splashed all over her hands and chest, throat closed up and eyes becoming unfocused.

“Don’t you think we know that?” May responded with a growl towards Weiss, and Ruby’s eyebrows furrowed at the tone, clenching her fists briefly. She glanced up and watched Weiss square her shoulders and cross her arms on her chest, looking directly into May’s eyes with fury.

“She risked _everything_ to make sure we were safe. She saved _you_ on that battlefield, when that... _Thing_ went after you. _Please_ , May.” Weiss’ voice turned soft and desperate at the end, and Ruby took a shaky breath. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and glanced to her right.

Her heart constricted painfully in her chest at the sight of Penny, laid out on a cot just near her in the main room of the den. Everyone else was scattered around the hideout, but Ruby remained seated next to her, very similar to when they were back in Schnee Manor after her crash landing.

She had woken up then, and she was back with them, good as new - blood gone, spark in her eye and determination to help despite everything that had happened to her.

But then, they were thrown back into things when Cinder and Neo showed up on the battlefield, separating the groups and sending them into chaos despite Salem clearly retreating.

She and Weiss stuck by Penny’s side the whole way, protecting and aiding her against a ruthless Cinder and vindictive Neo. 

Weiss had gone down when Neo struck a harsh blow with her umbrella blade, and Ruby turned away for a _second_ \- a split second to help her injured partner, one of the people she cared for more than anything, and that was when it happened behind her. The other person behind her, another piece of her that she cared for, cried out in agony.

She heard the cry, the sound of ripping and tearing just as she beat Neo away from Weiss, and the both of them turned towards the sounds, only to see Cinder pinning Penny to the ground and sucking her powers out of her, her swords clattered away from her and green liquid spewing from all parts of her from the fiery sword in Cinder’s other hand, slashes littering Penny’s body.

It was that split second where they were both distracted - that one second that changed everything, even when they worked together to beat Cinder and Neo away from Penny, moving effortlessly together until they both were defeated enough to retreat themselves, but not without a smirk being thrown Ruby’s way from Cinder.

She remembered how she and Weiss held Penny’s body, tears in both of their eyes as they worked together to lift her off the ground, her swords left behind and bits and pieces of her continuously falling to the ground as they carried her away.

“Hey.”

A soft touch to her shoulder brought her out of her trance - the images of Penny’s broken body in her and Weiss’ arms vanishing from her mind for the time being as she glanced up to see her partner standing there. Her blue eyes were shimmery with tears, but she tried to smile comfortingly at her, sitting down in the chair next to her.

“Hey.” Ruby replied in a croak, voice scratchy and clogged due to the tears building up inside of her yet again at the sight of Weiss’ sadness so clear on her face, the hopelessness and despair written there.

“Pietro... Is the only one that...” Weiss started to say, then clamped her mouth shut to release a shaky breath, beating back the tears that threatened to escape.

Ruby reached out and clasped her hand in her own, squeezing tightly. They locked eyes, and Ruby shuddered a breath.

“And he doesn’t have enough...” Weiss continued, but stopped short again, and this time she couldn’t hold her tears back. They trickled down her delicate, porcelain cheeks and Ruby reached out to her, her partner grasping onto the invitation into her arms and burying her face into her shoulder, freely crying.

Ruby said nothing.

What _could_ she say?

She had been down this road before - with Pyrrha, with Penny the _first_ time. She had been devastated - broken at the images of both of their lifeless bodies playing again and again in her mind, in her nightmares when she tried to sleep at night.

And it was happening again. She knew that.

Her own tears broke free and she sniffled a little, tightening her hold on Weiss and pressing her lips to her hair, shuddering when one of Weiss’ wet cheeks made contact with the side of her neck.

“I know.” Ruby finally decided to say, soft and mouse-like into Weiss’ hair as they both held each other close, ignoring the looks of sorrow and pity from everyone else in the room, ignoring the sadness among her friends.

“How are you so calm?” Weiss blubbered into her neck, and Ruby clenched her eyes tight, swallowing thickly.

She truthfully wasn’t calm at all - internally, there was a part of her _screaming,_ shouting from the depths of her heart and crying out for her to get up and do something - go to Pietro, who was just in the other room, and demand that he help Penny somehow. That they figure out some sort of _plan_ to save her from this fate again.

But, even though she couldn’t stand it, she knew it wouldn’t do any good.

A few tears rolled down Ruby’s cheeks and she sniffled again, clutching tighter around Weiss’ small form, her nose pressing into Weiss hair and inhaling the faint scent of vanilla and jasmine, and Ruby’s rattled brain somehow latched onto that for comfort. She wondered how Weiss could still smell so nice even after the war they were fighting outside, how she could be so soft and warm despite everything going wrong for them.

“She wouldn’t want us to be sad.” Ruby said quietly.

Weiss’ breaths stuttered, and as she pulled away from Ruby’s chest to say something, a frail, barely-there voice breathed to life on the cot next to them, both of them whipping their heads over.

“Affirmative.” Penny breathed out, eyelids fluttering as she tried her best to open them, with little success. Weiss gasped and reached out, immediately grasping one of Penny’s hands on her chest. Ruby wiped furiously at her eyes and leaned over the red head, flickering them all over her face.

“I would not want... You to feel upset.” Penny said, elaborating on her previous utterance. 

“But, Penny...” Weiss began, but Penny finally fluttered her eyes open to look at them both, effectively cutting her off.

“I chose to fight.” Penny said.

Ruby stared down at her with her heart breaking into a million pieces in her chest, and she felt Weiss’ other hand slip into hers in between their bodies, squeezing in a way to comfort her - or, perhaps, to comfort them both.

“I don’t want to lose you again.” Ruby suddenly cut in, voice thick with emotion and she couldn’t stop the tear that fell down from her eye, but Penny reached her hand out to catch it with her finger, albeit with some difficulty. She glanced from Ruby to Weiss, green eyes full of love and acceptance, softness radiating from her despite her state.

“I will not be gone completely.” Penny replied. Her voice was growing weaker by the second, and after she swiped another tear from Ruby’s cheek, her hand fell back down to the cot, practically limp, but her eyes remained slit open, half-lidded.

Before Ruby or Weiss could inquire what she meant, she weakly raised her other hand and pointed to them both - more specifically, to where both of their hearts were.

“I know... We did not have a lot of time together.” Penny breathed out, her hand lowering down again and eyelids fluttering. “But... I feel... That you were pieces of me. And I... Was a piece of you too.”

Ruby’s heart lurched when Penny’s eyes closed, and she heard Weiss’ soft whimper in the back of her throat, both of them leaning forward even more. Weiss held tightly onto Penny’s hand, and Ruby pressed her forehead against Penny’s, choking back the sobs that threatened to fall from her lips.

“We are.” Ruby breathed into her skin.

“We’re all pieces fit for each other.” Weiss said softly, and Ruby’s mind wandered for a moment - wondering if Weiss had found that in one of her books somewhere, committed it to memory for a moment just like this.

It seemed outlandish and far-fetched, but as they both held each other over Penny’s weak and broken form, a hint of a smile ghosting onto Penny’s lips for a brief second, it also seemed just the perfect way to describe them all.

“Stay... Combat ready, friends.” Penny said with a sigh, and it was then that Ruby realised that everyone was around them now, watching with solemn gazes and lowered heads as the inevitable came to be.

“We will. For you.” Ruby said with determination, despite the sob that accompanied those words. Weiss’ cool tears fell upon Penny’s black pants, creating splotches here and there.

“Good.” Penny replied, the tiny smile fading from her lips as the last of her energy ceased, the last of her life sucked from her. Her eyes remained closed, and her body turned limp on the cot, remaining still, despite Ruby and Weiss’ wishes that they were dreaming.

Pietro was openly sobbing on the other side of the cot, glasses off and Maria holding his head in a tight hug into her neck, the woman remaining stoic as ever, but still providing a shoulder to the old man as his daughter’s life faded from existence.

It was then, in the silence of the room with the occasional sniffle or sob, that Weiss leaned into her heavily and Ruby held her close again, her partner stuttering out her next words around an onslaught of tears.

“This may - may seem... Crazy.” Weiss said gently, for Ruby’s ears only. “But... Does it feel-” Another pause to collect herself. “-like we lost our soulmate?”

Ruby blinked a few times at the question, emotions and thoughts swirling through her and overwhelming her at that moment. It wasn’t... Something she had thought about before - a soulmate, or whether she even had _one_ , let alone two of them.

But crazier things have happened. And although she wasn’t entirely sure, and it was odd hearing it from Weiss, she slowly nodded, leaning her head against Weiss’ and pulling her closer into her side.

“Yeah.” Ruby mumbled, and that was the last thing she said for a while. It was the last word anyone spoke in that room, as they gathered around Penny’s lifeless body on the cot.

Ruby wasn’t sure about soulmates, that was for sure.

But she chose to believe that they all were - somehow, just like Weiss said, they were pieces floating in spaces, reaching out to each other in a war torn world, looking for safety and comfort and finding each other. On that airship down to Mantle, when they pressed against each other and leaned their heads on Penny’s, it was when they all felt the safest, even for a brief moment.

Maybe they did lose their soulmate, in a way.

But Penny believed she would live on in their hearts, because she was meant to.

So Ruby and Weiss would believe it too.

For her.


	47. Crossing That Line (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: bees with jealous blake as they're in a "will-they-won't-they" type of phase
> 
> premise: ive set this in vacuo for whenever they go there to get the relic and stuff after volume 8

Vacuo.

It wasn’t what any of them expected when they travelled there.

Sun had mentioned - mostly to Blake - that Vacuo wasn’t the same as it used to be. But when they landed on the airship from Atlas, right next to Shade Academy, the last thing Blake expected of a once beautiful, lush, greenery-filled land was to see a dilapidated wasteland with run down buildings and homes with roofs caved in.

The sandstorm was harsh when they landed, and as they passed citizens along their way to Shade, there was a mixture of fear, curiosity and hostility on all of their faces - children pulled away to tuck behind their parents’ legs, whispering breaking out amongst a few groups, narrowed eyes and ears pulled back on the many Faunus littering the streets, only a blanket to keep them warm.

It was... A lot to take in, and Blake’s heart broke with every Faunus she passed that looked sickly or in need of aid, but she couldn’t do anything to help.

As much as she wanted to, she was on a mission with her team as they stayed in Vacuo - in search of the next relic, and whether or not it took a few hours or several days in the middle of the desert, Blake knew that she needed to devote her time into helping against Salem.

“Look, I know my pad isn’t as... _Luxurious_ as I made it out to be before.” Sun was saying to them all as they sat in the main hall of Shade Academy, lounging on couches with Sun in an armchair near them. 

Qrow was off discussing things with Headmaster Theodore, and had advised the team to wait in the lobby of the school. Thus, with Sun as their previous guide to Shade Academy from their landed airship, they sat there, with Ruby and Weiss occupying one couch across from her.

Weiss’ head was in her lap as Ruby laid a hand on her partner’s head, almost absentmindedly playing with the white strands while she laid her head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression on her face.

And Blake... Well, things were _much_ more tense on her end.

Yang was next to her on the other couch, so close to her that her thigh pressed into her own and her prosthetic hand brushed her left hand any time she shifted ever so slightly. Blake’s ears flicked when Yang shifted again, and out of the corner of her eye she watched her arm, very slowly might she add, lay itself on the back of the couch just behind her shoulders.

Her cheeks heated up, but she soon remembered that Sun had said something earlier, and turned her attention back to her friend.

She instantly regretted it when she saw the knowing smirk on his face as he watched the two of them, his eyes searching Blake’s for a minute, and before she could stop him, he leapt off the chair and startled everyone in the room.

“Okay, kids, we need to get you guys somewhere _fun_.” Sun said, tail swishing behind him with excitement.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re on a mission.” Weiss retorted, Ruby giggling a little when Sun pulled a face at her when she wasn’t looking.

“I _know_ that.” Sun replied, looking at them with his hands on his hips. “But, who _knows_ when you’ll find that relic! It could be days from now, _weeks_ from now, a whole year-”

“We’d probably already be dead if it took us a year.” Blake cut in with a raised eyebrow towards her friend. She heard a slight huff of laughter from Yang at her side, her own lips curling into a smug smile when she met her eyes briefly.

Sun groaned and rubbed his face in irritation, before looking at them all again.

“Okay, yeah, totally get that.” Sun said. “But, look... It doesn’t hurt to go out sometimes, have a little fun, even when things look bad. If Qrow comes back and says you’ve gotta get a move on, then I’ll shut up about it.” He continued, adding a slight pause for effect until he jumped onto the hardwood table in between everyone, spinning around to give them all an excited look. “Buuuut, if you don’t _need_ to be anywhere right away... What’s the harm in a little party, huh?”

Blake rolled her eyes at her friend, and just when she expected Weiss to clap back at him again about the literal _mission_ they were supposed to be on, Qrow interrupted them all as he walked back into the lobby of the school, Headmaster Theodore in tow.

“What’s the plan?” Ruby said, head whipping down from the back of the couch and shifting, sending an apology Weiss’ way when her partner was jostled too much on her lap.

“Well, the relic is safe and sound here at Shade.” Theodore said, and everyone visibly sighed with relief at that.

“Theo here will get it for us and we can secure it before Salem or her helpers show up.” Qrow said, crossing his arms on his chest.

“That’s great.” Blake breathed out, and Yang hummed in agreement beside her, the vibrations being felt through her side with Yang pressed right up against her.

“So, by the looks of things, we could be out of here by tomorrow morning with the relic.” Qrow stated, flopping himself down in the other armchair in the lobby, looking worn out and deflated in an instant.

“I recommend we all meet tomorrow morning to deal with the relic. But for now, I will remain in my office.” Theodore announced, before leaving the room the way he came in.

“That’s awesome!” Sun beamed. “Soooo, that means if there was some sort of party tonight... Us kids could go?”

Qrow raised an eyebrow at him, glancing at the rest of the team to gauge their reactions.

Blake was... Kind of for it now, if she were being honest. She hadn’t been to a party, or any sort of gathering that wasn’t a protest or something political, since the Atlas dance club she and Yang went to. And although their mission put her on edge and gave her loads of anxiety about the future, she couldn’t deny that a party sounded kind of fun.

“I’m out.” Weiss said flippantly, standing up off the couch and placing a hand on her hip. “Some of us value our sleep after barely getting any on the airship ride over here, so therefore, I’ll be in our room.”

Blake looked on in amusement as Weiss stepped away from everyone and began her trek towards the staircase that lead upwards in the Academy, to where the dorm rooms were located.

It took all of three seconds for Ruby to spring up from her seat, Blake giving her a knowing look when she flushed from all the attention on her. Ruby grinned and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Um... Yeah, I’m beat too! Think I’ll hang out in the room with Weiss.” Ruby said, clearing her throat.

“Sure, Rubes.” Yang replied, smirk evident in her tone as her sister threw some finger guns at everyone, making her exit to follow after Weiss to the room.

Sun frowned, but quickly spun to Blake and Yang, still sitting quite close to each other with Yang’s arm still almost touching her shoulders, and if Qrow had anything to say about it, he seemed to decide to keep his mouth shut.

“Come on! Now I _know_ you two have to go.”“ Sun said, smirking a little when he noticed the flush on Blake’s face. ”Cause I know for a fact Blake would have fun.”

“ _Sun_.” Blake hissed through her teeth, ears pulling back in annoyance.

But Sun just looked to Yang instead, wiggling his eyebrows in her direction and Blake shot her eyes to her partner, surprised at the light blush that coloured her cheeks.

“Um...” Yang shifted in her seat again, glancing at Blake and then returning her eyes to Sun. “Well, if Blake wants to go...” Yang trailed off a little, blush deepening as she shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I’ll go too.”

“Hell _yes!”_ Sun exclaimed, fist pumping in the air and beaming at them. “I’ll give you the details on your scrolls and I’ll meet you there later with Nep. Wear something hot!”

Blake sighed as Sun flipped off the table and made his way to the doors of the Academy, promptly leaving behind a silent room with two awkward girls sitting beside each other and Qrow looking deep in thought as he stared down at his hands in his lap.

Yang cleared her throat next to her and moved herself, shooting Blake a small smile when she looked to her.

“Better go find something... ‘Hot’ to wear.” Yang said, rolling her eyes in amusement and standing up from the couch.

Blake’s eyes followed her every movement as she turned to face her from above, and Blake found herself marvelling at every mark and spot on her partner’s face, flicking her eyes all over until she settled on the warm, inviting gaze aimed right at her.

Blake really couldn’t help herself - it was on the tip of her tongue, and she and Yang had been dancing this line ever since Beacon. When they... Dealt with Adam, and went to Atlas, Blake had felt freer than she ever had before, and with her new haircut, she truly felt like herself again. She felt... Confident, and sure of herself and her feelings - mostly about Yang.

And ever since, she was aware of the tension between them, the awkward looks and flushes, the flirty things they would say to each other. It was a fine line they were tip toeing on, and Blake just couldn’t help but contribute to it even more.

“Well,” Blake started, pausing as she stood up to face Yang proper, flicking her eyes up at her through her eyelashes, smug grin forming on her lips as Yang gazed down at her with slight surprise in her lilac eyes. “Anything is hot with you in it. So, good luck with choosing.” Blake finished, biting back the giggle that wanted to escape from her when Yang’s face reddened, her mouth falling open into an ‘o’ shape.

Blake smirked and spun on her heel, leaving Yang behind with a shocked expression and making her way to their room to choose her own outfit for the party.

It was when Ruby and Weiss had stepped out from the room again - something about finding a vending machine for Ruby - when she decided to get changed into her outfit for the night, and in the middle of doing so, a certain blonde walked into the dorm room without any warning.

“Hey, I was just-” Yang started, then stopped, lilac eyes widening when she noticed Blake _literally_ had no shirt on at the moment.

Red bloomed on Blake’s cheeks as well, but didn’t... Make a sudden move to cover herself, not right away at least. For one, the sudden intrusion sort of shocked her, but also...

The look on Yang’s face was kind of priceless.

Blake stared back at her for a solid minute, eyebrow slowly raising to her hairline the longer Yang’s eyes remained transfixed, until she finally seemed to blink herself out of whatever stupor she was in and slapped a hand over her eyes, cheeks burning red.

“Oh fuck, Blake, I- I’m _so_ sorry.” Yang sputtered, throat bobbing as she turned herself away, but still keeping her hand over her eyes even with her back to Blake now. “I should have knocked - I, um... I’m-”

Blake couldn’t take it - she started giggling against her will at her stuttering mess of a partner, and Yang groaned a little, shaking her head.

“Kill me now, Brothers.” Yang whispered, more so to herself, but Blake’s sensitive hearing picked it up anyways, her right ear flicking and her lips curling into an amused smile as she finished pulling her new shirt on.

“You can look now.” Blake said, fussing with the collar of her purple button down shirt for a few moments as Yang whirled herself around, cheeks still burning crimson despite Blake being fully clothed now.

“ _Oh_...” Yang breathed out, going right back to staring at her and Blake paused in her fussing, glancing down at her full outfit. 

It wasn’t much, and what did she expect when they didn’t bring a whole lot with them for the trip to Vacuo. However, before they left Atlas, they _did_ look around some shops in order to bring more clothing with them for the journey, knone of them exactly sure how long they’d be staying in the desert.

It was when she and Yang stumbled upon a modest store down in Mantle, rather than Atlas, that had many different kinds of pieces to choose from, and Blake managed to snag a very sleek, fancy looking purple button down shirt there, along with some black pants and a leather jacket - which she now donned, sans the jacket at the moment.

She looked down at herself for another second before meeting Yang’s eyes, slightly nervous.

“What? Is it... Bad?” She said, fiddling with the cuffs of her shirt as she tried to gauge Yang’s reaction, ears slowly lowering on her head with anxiety. 

Yang’s eyes widened considerably and she waved her hands in front of her in a frantic fashion, shaking her head just as rapidly.

“What?! No! Blake you look, you...” Yang swallowed again and took a breath to calm herself down, trying her best to give Blake a comforting, soft smile. “You look... Really hot.”

Now, Blake was prepared for a compliment there - wholly prepared for an ‘You look amazing’, or ‘You look really good’ at the very least. But never did she think Yang would ever say _that_ to her, while they were alone in their dorm room, the tension suddenly becoming thick between them as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Blake felt a heat rush through her body when Yang’s eyes strayed a bit lower, only for a split second, but it was there and even though she pulled her gaze away to send her another awkward grin and move further into the room over towards her own suitcase full of clothes near her bunk, that image was burned into Blake’s mind.

She realised she hadn’t actually replied with anything cohesive to her partner’s compliment. She cleared her throat and swiftly swung her leather jacket over her, slipping into it and marvelling at how perfectly it fit her frame, before spinning around to face Yang, who continued to search through her suitcase.

“Thank you.” Blake said softly, and Yang paused, glancing up towards her. Blake watched as her eyes seemed to take in the jacket addition to her look, Blake’s breath hitching when she saw the clear dilation in Yang’s pupils and the slight spark of fire in those usually soft orbs.

“Right.” Yang strangled out of her throat, before quickly grabbing a set of clothes for herself out of the suitcase and nodding towards Blake. “I’ll... Just get myself changed too. Meet you in the lobby!”

And with that, she bolted from the room to go... Somewhere, and Blake was left with heat prickling her skin and mind foggy with only thoughts of her partner to occupy her.

She did as she was told though and waited in the main lobby of the school, back to sitting on one of the couches and twiddling with her thumbs. 

She briefly wondered what tonight would entail. She... Obviously wasn’t the best dancer in the world, but the last time she and Yang went out to a club, she had had the most fun she’d had in ages. Although Yang laughed at her attempts to dance, she also encouraged her, was there to make her feel comfortable and make her laugh and smile.

Back at that club, Blake had wanted to kiss her so badly, right in the middle of everyone, not caring about the stares they would get or the possibility of rejection. She saw the carefree smile on her partner’s face, the inviting look in her eyes and Blake just wanted to grab her face and kiss her right then and there.

But, she held back, because she couldn’t go over that line yet. She wasn’t ready to.

Was she ready now? To cross that line between them? To end this dance?

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps descending the stairs, and when she looked up, all the oxygen was sucked from her lungs in one swoosh and her mouth ran dry, eyes widening.

Yang walked down the stairs clad in a yellow - almost gold, in Blake’s eyes - halter dress that stopped mid-thigh, and Blake had to remind herself how to _breathe_ when she her eyes caught the way Yang’s hair was put in a ponytail now, exposing her neck and shoulders for all to see.

Blake’s eyes travelled downwards as she approached her, heart fluttering when she saw the purple bandanna wrapped around Yang’s leg still, close to her fresh fair of black boots that only reached above her ankles, a tiny bit of heel to them.

Blake blinked a few times as Yang stood in front of her, flush on her cheeks and shy smile forming on her lips the longer Blake went without saying anything.

“So...? Hot enough?” Yang said, but Blake caught the falter in her voice, the nervousness she tried to mask on her face and Blake needed to remedy that immediately.

Blake stood up, in front of Yang, looking up at her with a comforting smile as she took her hand in her own.

“Yang, you look beautiful.” Blake breathed, allowing herself to look her up and down once more before meeting her eyes again, delighted at the red filling her cheeks. “I feel under dressed seeing you like this now.” Blake joked, trying her best to ease the tension, and it seemed to work for the moment - Yang’s shoulders relaxed a little more, her smile returning to her lips.

“Trust me, you aren’t.” Yang hummed lowly, and that same heat travelled through her bones with the way Yang looked at her then - as if she hung the stars in the sky, as if the moon only shone because she existed in the universe.

Gods, Blake needed Sun to tell them where to go for this stupid thing or else they wouldn’t be leaving this Academy at all at this rate.

As if on cue, her scroll beeped in her pocket and she blinked, reluctantly dropping Yang’s hand to pull said scroll out, looking down at it - a message from Sun with directions.

Blake replied to him telling him they’d be there soon, and after looking over the directions one more time, she put her scroll away and looked back up at Yang, cheeky grin on her face as she held her arm out for the woman to take.

“Shall we go, m’lady?” Blake said, ears flicking with happiness on her head when Yang snorted with laughter. Her partner nodded and linked her arm with Blake’s, allowing her to lead them out of the Academy doors and down the winding roads towards their destination.

When they got there, it was really a pretty run down place - a hole in the wall almost, in a building that looked recently abandoned, but the party was in full swing regardless, with music blaring and strobe lights streaming all over the place of all different colours. There were a lot of people that actually showed up, and a bar that lined the back wall with an assortment of alcohol that Blake hadn’t seen before.

“Wow.” Yang said next to her, and she hummed in agreement.

“Hell yeah, you guys made it!” Sun suddenly barrelled towards them, stopping just in front and whistling as he looked over both of their outfit choices, nodding in approval. “Lookin’ good ladies!”

“Thanks, Sun.” Blake said in amusement, and the boy beamed back at her, before looking off towards the other side of the club, where a lone boy with vibrant blue hair stood in the corner in his usual attire, looking around himself.

“You ladies have fun. Maybe we can dance together later. Right now, I need to get Neptune something to drink or else he’ll stand in the corner all night. Later!” Sun winked at them and made his way over towards Neptune, who finally noticed them and sent them a wave, which they returned before they both looked to each other.

“Come on, Belladonna.” Yang said with a slight smirk, tugging on her hand towards the dance floor with a glint in her eye. “Let’s see if you can keep up better this time.”

“Oh,” Blake said, immediately taking the bait and following Yang into the crowd, her own smirk on her face. “I’ll show you I can.”

She really hadn’t improved since the Atlas dance club all that time ago - and she recognised that and embraced it wholeheartedly this time, laughing along with Yang in that crowd, spinning her and twirling her partner despite the fact the music didn’t fit that style of dancing _at all_.

But, they were having fun. They were together, moving with each other with a few hiccups from Blake here and there, but Yang didn’t seem to mind one bit, and Blake knew she had nothing to worry about when she was with Yang.

It was when she _wasn’t_ with Yang - when she took a break from dancing to grab a drink at the bar, something tasting of strawberries that quelled her thirst and burned her throat a little bit, when she suddenly did have something to worry about.

Other people. Hitting on _Yang_.

Blake stared from her place at the bar, almost absentmindedly clenching her hand around her drink harder when a girl sauntered up to Yang in the middle of the crowd. Yang blinked in surprise, and leaned in closer to the girl to hear her better, and Blake’s stomach churned with anxiety at whatever the girl was saying to her.

“So, how are you two not a thing yet?”

Blake jumped out of her skin and almost dropped her drink when Neptune leaned against the bar next to her, sly smirk on his face when she looked at him in disbelief.

“Huh?” She replied, and Neptune snorted, shaking his head and gesturing towards Yang, the girl _still_ talking to her and blatantly looking her up and down, drawing closer to her. Blake narrowed her eyes and put her drink down, shifting at her spot at the bar at the display.

“Come on, Blake, don’t play dumb. I see the way you look at each other.” Neptune said, his eyes remaining on her face even though she was staring at Yang talking with this girl. “Just surprised you haven’t made a move yet.”

Blake sighed lightly and looked away from her partner for a moment to look at Neptune again, trying her best to quell the fiery jealousy swirling in her stomach at Yang possibly flirting with that girl - she hated to think Yang would do that, especially when she seemed... Just as into her as she was, but Blake couldn’t help the feelings that arose within her even when it seemed ridiculous.

“I just... Don’t want to mess it up.” Blake replied, moving her eyes to look down at her feet. “I messed up so badly with her before, Nep... I just, don’t want to lose her again.”

“Dude.” Neptune said in exasperation, sighing and reaching his hand out to grasp her shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “She’s _so_ into you and it’s crazy you’d even think you’d mess it up somehow. From where I’m standing, seems like you’re doing worse with this weird will-they-won’t-they thing. It’s kinda exhausting for the people around you, not gonna lie.”

He said it without any sort of seriousness involved, a grin on his face when Blake met his eyes again, and she found herself being somewhat comforted by those words, despite some of her worries remaining. 

Maybe he was right, maybe she should-

“And you better do something fast cause that girl is going in for the kill right now.” Neptune suddenly said, and Blake whipped her head up to look at where Yang was on the dance floor, white hot _rage_ filling her inside when she saw her hands pressed into Yang’s biceps, looking up at her with sparkling eyes and a smirk on her face and Yang looked paralysed in that moment, a deer in the headlights unsure of what to do and _oh_ , Blake had had _enough._

 _“_ Watch my drink.” Was all Blake said to Neptune before she stormed off, back into the crowd and over to Yang and this random girl.

“... I have a room not far from here.” The girl was saying, and Blake suddenly only saw the colour red.

“Um, that’s cool, but, listen...” Yang was starting to protest, but Blake didn’t give her time to continue because she immediately cut into their conversation when she made it to them, wrapping her hands around Yang’s bicep and pulling her gently into her side, catching both her and the girl off guard.

“Baby, I’m kind of tired. Can we get some air?” Blake said, barely registering what she was _saying_ and laying the sugary sweet tone on thick as she squeezed Yang’s arm.

Yang blinked down at her in confusion, a light blush forming on her face and the girl narrowed her eyes at Blake, but she didn’t care - she was done with all of this, done with the tip toeing and the teasing and the uncertainty. She was done with seeing Yang being... Talked to like this, when all she wanted was for it to be _her_ that spoke to her that way, called her baby, giving her the love and affection she deserved.

All she needed was to be alone with her. And for Yang to feel the same way.

“Excuse me? We were talking.” The girl said with snark, and Blake’s ears pulled back as she narrowed her eyes at the girl, delighting in the slight fear that showed in her eyes.

“And _I_ was asking my _girlfriend_ if we could head out. That a problem?” Blake replied back, a bite to her words and she heard Yang’s breath hitch near her ear.

The girl looked like she wanted to say more, but when Blake curled herself closer to Yang’s body, pressing her whole chest into her arm and laying her head on her shoulder, she just scoffed and rolled her eyes, storming away without another word.

Once she was out of sight, Blake sighed and pulled herself away from Yang, but kept her hold on her arm, looking up at her with slight worry in her eyes.

“You okay? You looked... A little uncomfortable.” Blake said.

Yang was looking at her, an unreadable look in her eyes and she suddenly reached down to grab Blake’s hand, tugging on it.

“Outside.” Was all she said.

Blake allowed her to lead her through the throng of people, weaving in and out until they finally made it out of the club, breathing in the slight sandy air of the desert and feeling the cool chill of the night brush over them.

Blake’s heart was doubling in speed now, worry settling into her bones when Yang pulled her hand away from hers. She wasn’t looking at her, instead looking off back towards Shade Academy, seemingly deep in thought.

Was she upset with her? Did she... Actually _not_ look uncomfortable with that girl? Was it just Blake’s jealousy that got in the way of Yang possibly being happy?

All of this whirled around inside of her until Yang suddenly spun around to face her, effectively cutting off any more turmoil in her mind when her eyes found hers and spoke volumes - page after page flitting through those lilac orbs to tell her everything she needed to know even before Yang opened her mouth.

“Blake.” Yang breathed out her name and it sounded just like the Hymns her people would chant at the festivals back in Menagerie - like she was saying the name of a Goddess that came down to Remnant to bathe everyone in eternal light and _oh fuck_ Blake really didn’t know what to do in the slightest.

Yang gave her mercy and stepped forward closer to her, not once breaking their eye contact.

“You don’t have to be jealous, you know.” Yang said, a complete 180 to the way she said her name just a moment ago, and it gave Blake a bit of whiplash in the sudden change of subject.

“What? Wait- I wasn’t, I was just-” Blake stuttered and flushed, unable to even form coherent sentences anymore and she realised it was because of _Yang_. Yang, standing there in front of her, looking like an angel with the moonlight streaming down onto her golden hair and washing over her skin, almost glittering in the light.

Yang grinned and shook her head in a lighthearted manner, stepping even closer and grasping her hands tightly.

“Come on,” Yang said, a teasing lilt to her voice now, smug smirk forming on her lips and _Gods_ , she did _not_ deserve to look that attractive when she did that.

“You did a lot to get her away from me.” Yang continued, raising an eyebrow.

Blake’s ears lowered on her head, her eyes flitting away, and she flushed from head to toe as she recalled what she had called Yang in there, and she immediately felt shame and guilt fill her heart at that - she truly had no right to say those things, to try and “save” her from a girl that maybe Yang could have been into-

“Blake.” Yang spoke again, bringing her out of her thoughts once more and when she looked back to her, she didn’t see disappointment or disgust in her eyes. All she saw was softness emulating from her partner and she chose to clamp her own words down to allow Yang to continue again.

“I’m just...” Yang trailed off, looking frustrated, before she picked it back up again with determination. “I’m so _tired_. Of this - of us... Just standing with a line between us that neither of us want to cross for some reason and hearing you call me... _That_ , you know, your- girlfriend...” Yang cleared her throat after that, shy and nervous all of a sudden, but she barely broke her stride as she looked deep into Blake’s eyes. “Even if you were just trying to get that girl away from her - which, by the way, thank you because I _really_ didn’t want to have to throw her across the room or something - I felt... _Alive_ when you called me that. I wanted to hear it again and again and I just-”

Blake didn’t let her finish her thought, and in retrospect, she sort of wished that she did so she could hear Yang’s melodic voice continue to say those wonderful things. But, no - she cut her off mid-sentence, leaning forward and pressing her lips to hers with the soft moonlight illuminating over them.

Yang’s lips were soft, and after being slightly shocked at the action, she eagerly kissed Blake back. Her arms were gentle as they slotted around her to hold her close. Blake wrapped her arms around her neck and hummed in content against her lips as they moved together, _finally_ after all this time - after all the pain and heartache, the pushing and pulling, the awkwardness and questions - they were there, and Blake finally got to kiss the girl that had been plaguing her mind ever since Beacon.

Yang tilted her head then and angled herself better, fire settling low in Blake’s stomach when her back found the wall near the entrance of the club. Their lips remained locked despite the need for air, but it never went beyond the soft presses, the slow and deliberate way they slotted together perfectly.

Yang’s touch was so delicate as they slowly but surely ran down her sides to her hips, so gentle and soft as her thumbs began caressing her over her shirt, and Blake couldn’t help the shiver that travelled through her body.

Fire set low in her stomach and, embarrassingly, a whimper escaped her throat when Yang pressed more firmly against her against the wall, her teeth just barely grazing Blake’s lower lip and sending another jolt down her spine.

She wanted to continue more than anything - wanted to spend forever with Yang up against her, wanted to live forever with only Yang’s kisses to sustain her.

But Yang pulled away first, chest heaving and pants washing over her face and she assumed she was in the same state, head buzzing as if she were drunk.

Perhaps she was - drunk on Yang, drunk on her touch where her thumbs dug into her hips and drunk on the love emulating from those beautiful lilac orbs.

“Why the hell did we wait so long?” Yang breathed out, and Blake moved her hands to her cup her cheeks softly, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I don’t know.” Blake replied with a slight smile.

Yang returned it and sighed, leaning in to press their foreheads together as they continued to catch their breath.

“We got there in the end, at least.” Yang said.

Blake’s smile didn’t waver one bit, and her ears pressed against her head in happiness, nodding a little as she leaned in closer, noting the harsh inhale from Yang when she brushed her lips against hers just barely.

“Thank Gods.” Blake replied.

They smiled at each other, giddy and carefree and _happy_ , their feelings finally known, finally showing each other just how much they love each other, and how much time they wasted doing this stupid dance back and forth.

Until now.

And as Blake held Yang in her arms, pressing kisses into any skin she could find that was appropriate - with Yang’s permission of course - her partner’s happy laughter echoing in her ears, she realised she was finally and truly _happy_.

She had once described Yang as strength. But there were so many more words to describe her now - warmth, comfort, safety.

 _Home_.

And the kisses they continued to share that night, with sweet nothings being whispered into each other’s ears and love planted into each other’s hearts, proved that to her even more so.

It took much too long, but Blake was finally home.

And she would never regret crossing that line.

Even if it was because of some stupid jealousy.


	48. no one ever said it would be so hard (oh, take me back to the start) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: bumbleby where yang sacrifices herself in order to get one of the relics
> 
> premise: during volume 8, possibly towards the end of the volume but like idk what's gonna happen later on so this all came from my brain really im so sorry.
> 
> can i ever make a chapter NOT titled by song lyrics? i guess not lol this is from the scientist by coldplay <3
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS // MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS ONE AND ALSO BLOOD , INJURY AND VIOLENCE

When Blake saw Yang again properly for the first time, in what felt like years, it was through the blinding flurry of snowflakes out in the bitter cold of the Tundra.

It was a blur - how they got there and what the hell they were doing. It all happened so fast - Penny and Nora finally waking up, Neo and Cinder trying to intercept them as they began travelling away from Schnee Manor, Winter suddenly calling Weiss’ scroll to tell them their _friends_ were sent inside of that fucking beast.

That last bit sent Blake’s mind into overdrive and all she and her team could think about was that - Yang, Jaune, Ren and somehow _Oscar_ being stuck in that Whale and not knowing what the hell was happening with them.

The ache she felt in her heart imagining Yang in there was excruciating and unbearable. So many awful scenarios had whipped through her mind and continued to do so until they got close enough to the Whale to see the thing blow up from the inside - and a group of people rushing out of it.

They were in their airship, so the people were tiny dots mostly. But Blake _knew_. She _knew_ who it must have been and the relief she had felt was incomparable to anything else she had ever felt.

They couldn’t go to them in that moment - things were too chaotic, Winter ordered them not to come any closer due to the explosion.

And then it happened.

The rumbling of the ground, the Grimm burrowing in and out of the dirt and the Whale bits flying everywhere around them. All of that combined almost masked the tragedy awaiting them, but not well enough.

The rumbling of the ground cracked pieces of Atlas apart, sent it flying down to Mantle below and buildings began getting crushed and ruined, and May immediately sent them down there without much more preamble - the Whale was gone, the Atlesian military could handle the rest of the Grimm.

The fight took them out into the Tundra, and Blake could barely see two feet in front of her due to the snow and the Grimm surrounding them all. She vaguely remembered wondering where the rest were - they saw Yang and the group get out of the Whale, saw them making their way to Winter’s airship, but May had sent them away before they could truly see what happened next.

So imagine her surprise when she saw the telltale sign of golden hair peeking through the snowy surroundings.

“ _Yang?!”_ Blake called in disbelief, using Gambol to slice through a small Grimm near her, distantly hearing Weiss and Ruby performing Ice Flower on a few more of them. She heard Nora and Penny as well, in the distance, but in that moment all her eyes and ears tried to focus on was Yang - turning around with searching, frantic lilac eyes until they found hers through the flakes, a series of emotions flitting through them.

“ _Blake_.” Yang called back, and then she was there - wrapped around her, holding her close and pressing her lips into her hair and Blake held on just as tightly, clenching her eyes shut and burying her face into her neck.

“Oh Gods, you’re okay, you’re-” Blake choked around her words, swallowing back the desperate sob in her throat and she tightened her hold even more around her partner’s neck, a few tears leaking out of her eyes and hitting her cold skin.

“I am.” Yang replied, and Blake shuddered in her hold when she raised her hand to cup the back of her head, encourging her to continue pressing her face into the comfort of her neck.

“What happened? How did you even- How are you _here_ -?” Blake asked, sniffling and although her ears flicked to the sounds of fighting around her, her team battling the onslaught of Grimm that had streamed into Mantle from the river, most of her other senses focused solely on the woman in her arms and the sound of her breathing in her ear and the feeling of those soft lips ghosting gently along her forehead briefly.

“We... The Whale...” Yang took a breath, and Blake pulled herself back just enough to look up into her eyes, not even caring about the tear tracks on her cheeks. Yang took in her face and smiled a little, cupping her cheeks and rubbing her thumbs on them to get rid of the remaining tears.

“We... Had to get Oscar, and the relic. And we got out in time, we were safe. Winter picked us up in the airship, and she was going to arrest us again...” Yang’s voice turned low at the end, eyes flashing with red for a split second, but it was gone the next second as she shook her head.

Arrested? _Again?_

And what about Oscar? Why was he in there to begin with?

Blake had so many questions about that, anger flaring up inside of her at the thought of Yang in cuffs, _all_ of them in cuffs and treated like dangerous criminals when all they wanted to do was save people.

But Yang cut off her thoughts again.

“But Ren said...A bunch of stuff to her, to the rest of the Ace-Ops, and when we all saw the... Ground shaking and dropping Grimm and debris down into Mantle, we convinced them to let us help down here while they helped Atlas.”

Blake hummed, then paused, glancing into her eyes when a thought crossed her mind.

“Where _is_ the relic?” Blake replied, worry lacing her voice.

“Oscar has it now. Emerald... You remember her? She... Defied Salem to get it for us, something about being unsure what team she was playing for. I didn’t ask too many questions - we had to get out of there as quick as possible.” Yang said, and Blake hummed again, relaxing even more the longer Yang caressed her cheek with her thumb.

Blake leaned into her touch, practically nuzzling her face into Yang’s palm and she heard her partner let out a huff of laughter in response, but she didn’t care if she looked soft and mushy right now, in the middle of the battlefield with the war still raging on around them.

Yang was _back_. She was _there_ , with her and she was touching her so gently and looking at her with so much relief and love in her eyes and Blake would be damned if she didn’t let this moment continue for at least a while longer.

“I missed you so much.” She breathed into Yang’s skin, ears pressed down to her head.

Yang hummed and brought her closer again, leaning their foreheads together to look directly into her eyes, smile so bright and beautiful, cheeks either flushed red from the cold or from Blake’s presence.

Blake kinda hoped for the latter.

“Me, too.” Yang breathed back, and Blake’s lips curled into a smile, but just before she could faint from her rapid heartbeat or take Yang’s lips with her own to finally kiss her, Weiss’ screeching voice brought them out of it.

“I’m _so_ happy you’re okay, really I am-” Weiss said, suddenly coming through the blizzard around them and laying a few glyphs out in front of her for Ruby to jump onto to attack a flying Grimm. “But can we save the... Ugh... _Mushy_ stuff for later? We’re fighting right now!”

Blake and Yang blushed bright red and smiled a little at each other, nodding with determined glints in their eyes.

But something else interrupted them this time.

The rumbling got worse and worse all of a sudden underneath their feet, the snowy ground below them shaking violently, to the point where Blake almost toppled over onto her back. But Yang reached out to hold her, keeping them both upright while Ruby and Weiss used the glyphs to stay still.

“What’s happening?!” Nora yelled through the harsh winds and violent shaking. She was to Blake’s right - that much she knew - and she truly had no idea _what_ was going on.

It happened then - much too fast for anyone to really react.

The ground split open in mere seconds, cracking underneath their feet and Blake’s eyes widened as she quickly stepped back from the crack onto one side of it, almost falling over if Yang hadn’t been holding her.

“What the-?!” She heard Weiss start, but was cut off by the sound of an airship flying overhead, whipping the winds even harsher around them all.

“It’s Cinder!” Ruby yelled to them all, pointing up towards the airship where the woman herself was leaning outside, grinning down at them all devilishly.

“The Maiden _and_ the relic that you stole? Salem will be so pleased.” Cinder said with a maniacal grin. The airship moved around above them a bit more, clearing some of the blizzard obscuring their vision, and they could see they were making a direct beeline to Penny, who was caught off guard by the shaking of the ground.

“Ruby!” Weiss said, and the partners were off to defend Penny as Cinder dropped from the airship to begin the fight.

Blake and Yang readied their weapons to do the same. Through the storm whistling around them, she could make out Jaune and Nora battling a few Grimm not far from them - but no sign of Ren and Oscar.

But the moment Blake took a step, a massive black blur shot past her and Yang, causing her to stumble back into her partner’s arms, pure shock rattling her senses.

“What was _that?”_ Blake said in disbelief.

“Fuck.” Yang cursed lowly, readying Ember Celica. “It’s The Hound.”

“The _what_?”

“It’s the thing that took Oscar before!” Yang shouted back, jumping over a smaller crack in the ground and gesturing for Blake to follow her. And of course she did.

She wasn’t leaving Yang again.

“It’s going for him again, we have to find him and Ren in all of this.” Yang said to her, and Blake nodded, but glanced over to Weiss and Ruby as they battled Cinder, trying their best to hold her off from Penny.

She felt a hand close around her shoulder and it brought her back to Yang in front of her, lilac eyes staring deep into hers.

“We’ll be back to help soon. That thing... It’s smarter than other Grimm, okay? We can’t let it have Oscar and the relic. Not again.” Yang said.

Blake glanced over to the rest of her team once again, but was relieved to see that Jaune had joined the fight over there at least, using his sword and shield to battle alongside them. Nora was nowhere to be found now, and Blake assumed she went back into the harsh storm to find Ren and Oscar.

“Okay.” Blake replied, and with that, they both took off through the blizzard, Blake keeping her ears and eyes open for any other sounds of struggle or fighting.

It was brief, and very quick, but eventually she caught it - a small yelp to their left, and she stopped in her tracks, grasping onto Yang’s hand to get her attention.

“There!” Blake shouted, pointing in that direction and prompting them both to scramble that way, towards the ever growing sounds of growling and snarling and harsh grunts of pain.

The images of their friends and the beast were blurry until they got much closer, but once they did, Blake had to bite back the shocked gasp at the sight of that thing - it was big, with rows of sharp teeth and bumps on its back, as if there should be wings there, but none were shown. It was on all fours, and Ren and Nora were teamed up in front of a knocked down Oscar, and without much more hesitation, she and Yang hopped into the fight.

It didn’t take long for the fight to turn sour.

She and Yang fought seamlessly, working together to dodge and block blows from its massive claws and teeth that snapped at them. But there was a moment where something went wrong - where the thing must have caught on to the methods they were using, and suddenly its hand grasped Gambol Shroud when she tried to throw it to Yang, and suddenly she was airborne.

“ _Blake_!” Yang shouted from somewhere, and she quickly tried to redirect herself in the air, only to land solidly on her back some feet away, knocking the wind out of her for a few solid seconds.

She then saw Ren and Nora be treated the same exact way - The Hound finally grasping them both and sending them flying into the ground, their auras flickering as they became disoriented.

Blake grunted and shook her head, quickly getting herself back up and even though she had lost Gambol somewhere in all of that, she ran back towards the blurry images of Yang and that beast, using her partner’s mane of golden hair as a lighthouse in the dark.

She made it just in time to see Yang cross her arms over her chest to block a slam from The Hound, her feet skidding along behind her as she maintained her balance.

“Grab Oscar!” Yang said to her, shooting a few rounds into The Hound’s face and causing it to rear its head back a little.

Blake ran towards the fallen boy, and when she saw The Hound start to ignore Yang and come for her, and quickly used a copy of herself when it tried to grab her, pulling Oscar into her arms and using the distraction to whip herself around and attempt as escape.

But it was sloppy - The Hound’s clawed fingers still managed to snag into Oscar’s jacket when she finally materialised again, even through the snowy surroundings. She stumbled a little and she heard it rather than saw it - the sound of the Lamp dropping to the ground from Oscar’s belt, laying in the snow.

And she didn’t make it much further before a rumble from below knocked her over, dropping Oscar in the process and she felt her chest grow tight when she heard a growl from behind her, too close for comfort.

She whipped herself onto her back and looked on with fear washing over her when The Hound stood over her, reeling its arm back to swipe at her.

“Leave. Her. _Alone!”_

Yang’s voice was deadly - like icicles falling and hurtling against a glass window and it sent a chill down Blake’s spine, despite the circumstances.

Her partner shot through the blizzard and was suddenly on top of the thing, gripping onto its head. Blake took the opportunity to get back up, picking up Oscar and just managing to get out of the way when the beast flipped Yang off of its back and onto the ground on her back, a cry of pain echoing from her lips.

“Yang!” Blake said, and her partner groaned in reply, barely able to form words from the slam into the ground.

“The relic...” Yang wheezed, and it was then that Blake saw The Hound grabbing onto the relic from the snow, using its claws to grasp it and then hold it in its hand firmly.

“We need to go help Nora and Ren.” Blake said.

It wasn’t that she didn’t care about the relic - no, they _needed_ it, and this whole fight would be for nothing if Salem obtained it again. Emerald’s choice would have meant nothing, and she _knew_ that.

But they were outnumbered, wounded and beaten down, and she knew they couldn’t beat this thing with the others so far away from them.

It was already morphing right in front of her eyes, standing there and beginning to grow wings seemingly out of nowhere, getting ready to take flight.

“Blake.”

Yang was up now, and her partner turned to her then, and Blake really did _not_ like the look in her eyes, didn’t like the tone of her voice that sounded so defeated and _tired_. And if Blake didn’t have Oscar in her arms at the moment she would have grabbed onto Yang, would have held her close and taken that defeated feeling away from her.

Maybe then what happened next wouldn’t have happened. Maybe what happened wouldn’t have occurred if she had grabbed her, wrapped her arms around her and told her how much she truly loved her, how much she’d wanted to be with her since Beacon.

But she did none of that. She never got the chance to when The Hound finally finished its transformation, and before Blake could properly react, Yang swallowed thickly and surged forward to plant a kiss right on her lips, and it was all chapped, cold lips and cold hands touching her face and then it was gone, her heart and mind reeling and growing fuzzy for just a moment at what just happened.

She had no time to register or appreciate it, because then Yang was pulling away - the warmth that bloomed in Blake’s chest at the touch of her partner’s lips being snuffed out when she saw a single tear roll down Yang’s cheek.

“I have to get it.” Yang breathed out, and the flapping of wings echoed around them through the snowflakes whipping their faces and it was then she realised what Yang was about to do.

“ _No_. Yang Xiao Long, don’t you dare-” Blake began, but Yang just turned away from her, shaking her head and taking a deep breath and Blake tried to reach out to her, tried to touch her despite the weight of the boy in her arms, but it was no use.

“Yang, don’t- you - we can figure out a plan-” She started again.

“We have no time.” Yang shot back, and it was then that Blake realised tears were flowing down her cheeks, but Yang didn’t look back to her until the last moment, a bittersweet smile on her lips.

“I love you.” Yang said, simultaneously deafening and quiet in the haze of the storm and then she activated her semblance, the bright fire in her hair and the scalding temperature radiating off of her and blanketing over Blake.

But it wasn’t a comfort in this moment - it was the exact opposite.

A scream ripped its way out of her throat when Yang shot herself away, just managing to catch onto The Hound when it began to soar into the air, using her semblance to lay a series of punches into its back.

Blake put Oscar down in an instant and tried to catch up, tried to make her way there to stop this, to stop what was about to happen, but without Gambol Shroud, she had no way to latch herself onto the creature when it began to fly.

“Yang!” She cried, barely able to see with the snow and her tears filling her vision.

There was a moment of clarity when the storm eased up a little, but what she saw would fill her nightmares for many years to come - it would keep her and Ruby and Weiss up at night when she finally described to them what happened, all three of them huddled together with their arms all wrapped around each other, their tears and gasps for breath being the only type of communication between them all.

The Hound was up in the air still, but Yang’s blows against it had it faltering and swaying back and forth, the lamp being snatched up by one of Yang’s hands.

But then it went downhill just as fast - and Blake’s heart sunk down, into a dark, inky blackness that she probably wouldn’t ever escape from as she watched The Hound roar in anger and snatch Yang off of its back, the lamp slipping from her hand and down to the ground.

Blake caught it before it could fall fully, cradling it in her hands as her eyes locked back on the fight in the sky.

The Hound, holding Yang in one of its massive, clawed hands, and it began squeezing - clenching harder and harder until a sharp ‘crack’ was heard and Yang’’s howl of pain was the worst sound Blake had ever experienced.

“Yang! Yang, I’m-I’m coming!” Blake said frantically, looking around her for something to _use_ \- something to get her up there, something that could help her do _something_.

But all she saw was white blankets of snow around her, Nora and Ren unconscious somewhere, Oscar as well, and the rest of the team off fighting Cinder still.

And all she could do was watch while The Hound squeezed the life out of her partner, using its other hand to embed its claws deep into Yang’s chest, her partner crying out once more.

“ _No!”_ Blake screamed in agony, helpless and alone on the ground as she dropped to her knees, unable to do anything as the claws sunk deeper and deeper, protruding out of the other side of her body. Blake’s cries and whimpers were the only thing she could hear now, her ears ringing and her blood turning to solid ice when Yang’s head lolled back, her lilac eyes catching hers just briefly before they closed.

Her body went limp, and The Hound dropped her carelessly to the ground.

Blake sobbed and sobbed - she expected for her end to come as well, and a part of her wished that it did, as she saw the lifeless body of the most important person in her life not far away from her, and The Hound swooping down to get to her, for the relic.

But then, almost like a miracle, Ruby and Weiss were suddenly there - fighting the thing and protecting her, and then Penny and Jaune were too, but in her eyes, it didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered anymore, and even when they finally defeated The Hound, just as they had Cinder, it still didn’t matter.

Yang’s blood stained the snow red underneath her, and Ruby and Weiss cradled her as they all wailed, crying into each other’s embraces.

She wished The Hound took her too - took her _instead_.

She wished she did a lot of things differently - regarding Yang, the war, the battle that just occurred. So many things went wrong, and now, even with her other friends by her side, Blake was alone.

Yang laid there in the snow, red pooling from her and it was too much - that colour had been a stain on her life for so long, hurt her and abused her far too much and it was when golden hair and lilac eyes came into her life that she finally felt at peace, finally felt like she had found someone that understood her. That was her home in a place that was so unforgiving and cruel.

And now her home laid its head in her lap as she cried, not once opening its eyes ever again.

“I love you too.” Blake sobbed, her tears dripping from her cheeks and onto Yang’s pale skin.

She wished she had the chance to say it before.

And now she would never have that chance again.


	49. Piece of Summer (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: blake accidentally uses yang's scarf to clean up a mess, yang finds out and gets upset because (this person's headcanon) summer gave yang her scarf before she went on her final mission.
> 
> premise: beacon bees, im thinking a little after burning the candle and the dance arc but before v3 starts

"We're heading to the store! You want anything?"

Blake looked up from the book in her hands and followed her eyes along Ruby and Weiss as they walked towards the dorm room door. It was Ruby that spoke, the young girl spinning around to look at her and grin in that childish way of hers, while Weiss just sighed and crossed her arms on her chest, rolling her eyes.

Blake smirked a little at that.

"Nah, I don't need anything. Thanks, though." Blake replied, directing a tiny smile towards Ruby, who beamed back at her despite her refusal, and nodded a little. Blake watched the young girl link arms with Weiss, who sputtered from the sudden act with her cheeks turning a light pink as Ruby swung up the door, pulling the stunned girl out with her.

"We'll be back later then!" Ruby called back, and with that, the door shut behind the pair of partners and left Blake alone once again.

Her book laid on her lap now, and she sighed a little down at it, realising she wasn't as into it as she was when she began reading it. She would probably feel motivated a little later; but at the moment, she slid her bookmark back between the pages and laid her book down next to her pillow. She spread herself out on her bed and looked up at the underside of the bunk above her, and it didn't take long before a small smile formed on her lips at the thought of the person that would usually be up there late at night - tossing and turning, sometimes even chainsaw snoring some nights which she vehemently _denied_ doing the next morning.

Yang Xiao Long.

Blake hadn't known her for a very long time, but that didn't really matter anymore - considering how she comforted her that day in the classroom, and even opened up about her own issues, it was like they'd formed a whole new bond since then. 

Yang would... _Talk_ to her, outside of school and without much prompting besides 'just wanting to get to know her more' - Her words, not Blake's - and Blake tried _so_ hard to wrap her mind around that. Tried so hard to understand just _why_ she wanted to - what was in it for her? Did Blake deserve to even _have_ someone like that in her life again? Someone she trusted? Someone that she could spend her time with without worrying about everything else that had gone wrong in her life up till this point?

Perhaps she didn't deserve it, but Yang made it quite impossible to refuse her ridiculous ideas and plans to hang out with her.

She had to admit, the blonde could be pretty inventive when she wanted to be. And Blake couldn't deny that when she was with Yang - just the two of them, laughing and talking and sometimes getting into some new, wacky thing that her partner had thought up - Blake always felt at ease. She always felt warmth bloom like a flower in her chest whenever she laughed, and she always felt safe in Yang's presence.

Blake could easily say she was becoming her best friend. But she _adamantly_ pushed away any further thoughts of more than that in her mind, even if her heart _did_ sometimes skip a beat whenever that lopsided smile would be thrown her way.

She thought of that smile again - there, laying down on her bunk - and it brought her mind to another realisation.

Where _was_ Yang right now?

Blake frowned at that and sat up on her bed, eyes surveying the room as if it held answers to all of her questions. Instead, the walls stared back at her with no answers to give, and she sighed, stretching her joints out as she stood up from her bed.

Ruby and Weiss were out, Yang was out somewhere, which left her all by herself in the dorm.

She hummed to herself and looked towards the window, leaning herself over the desk pressed underneath it to take a look outside. Her bow twitched happily on her head when she caught sight of the beautiful garden that Yang had taken her to one day, actually quite passionate about the different types of flowers on display in said garden. There were benches planted around the area, one in which they sat down on to watch the sunset just the other night, words barely being spoken between them as they basked in the light fading from the sky and the lovely scents of the flowers wafting around them.

It was... Nice, to be able to have her guard down around someone like that. She hadn't had that feeling in so long, she almost forgot how it felt - to feel calm and serene, no words needing to be said between her and another person, just the quiet allowing them to be content in each other's presence.

She blinked herself out of that reverie, a blush lighting up her face as she realised she was thinking of Yang _again_ and she should really stop that if she wanted to convince herself she only saw Yang as a best friend.

She quickly pulled herself away from the window, but in doing so, she failed to notice the case of dust that Weiss had left laid out on the desk she was leaning over. In her haste, she suddenly knocked over the case, different kinds of dust spilling over onto the floor just near the desk.

"Oh _fuck_." Blake said, looking down at the mess she had created in the span of a few seconds. 

She blamed the thoughts of a certain blonde for being more bumbling than she usually was.

She stepped around the mess of dust for a second, looking around her to see if there was anything she could use to help clean it up somehow. If Weiss came back from her outing with Ruby to see this, she would probably _never_ hear the end of it and she would rather avoid that confrontation.

Her gaze swept across the room, searching for a broom or dustpan or something laying about, but nothing of the sort jumped out at her. But, what _did_ jump out to her, was when her eyes swept across Yang's bunk and an orange fabric peeked out from underneath the pillow up there. She blinked and reached up to it, tugging it free from the pillow and looking down at it. It looked like the fabric that Yang usually had wrapped around her neck - a very nice addition to her look, if Blake were being honest. But if Yang got held up after classes that day, and was still in her uniform, then Blake could only assume she left the piece of cloth behind.

She bit her lip and looked down at the dust spread out near her feet. She knew it was an important piece of Yang's wardrobe, _of course_. But, it was just some cloth at the end of the day, and she was sure that Yang would understand if she used it to wipe up this mess, right?

It would only take a few seconds and then they could wash it later. No big deal.

Blake neatly unfolded the cloth and crouched down to the mess, kneeling next to it and reaching out with the fabric. She began sweeping up the dust with it, gathering it up as best she could with the material. Once it was more or less clumped together, Blake took the fabric and laid it across the dust, molding it into a ball shape and holding it closed when most of the dust held inside the shape, carefully picking it up. She smiled triumphantly as she dumped the dust into the garbage, shaking out the cloth piece a little.

There were still a few flecks of dust on the carpet, but it was better than what it looked like before, that was for sure. She shook the fabric a little more and then laid it out on the desk, definitely needing to be washed later - patches of dust particles littered it, grey splotches here and there as well.

As soon as she laid it out, she heard the dorm room door open behind her. She swung around, that familiar warm, soft feeling spreading through her chest and stomach when she saw Yang coming inside, looking worn out as she closed the door behind her.

Yang puffed out her cheeks, but when her eyes laid on Blake, her lips curled into a smile and she tilted her head.

"Hey." Yang said, walking a bit further into the room. Blake smiled back at her softly, and just as she was about to respond - maybe ask Yang if she wanted to hang out in the garden again - her partner stopped mid step, eyes flicking to the desk behind Blake.

"Why's my scarf there?" Yang said, expression suddenly unreadable. 

Blake raised an eyebrow and looked back at the scarf, shrugging her shoulders and then meeting Yang's eyes again.

"Sorry about that, I just needed something to clean up this stupid mess I made." Blake huffed a laugh at herself and rolled her eyes in a good natured way, mirth shining in the amber. "I saw that on your bunk and thought it's more like a cloth, so I thought I'd use it and wash it later."

Yang's eyes were glued to the scarf, and almost out of nowhere, her expression shifted and she snatched the scarf up, catching Blake off guard with the flash of red in her once gentle eyes.

"You..." Yang trailed off, blinking down at the orange material, flecks of dust littering all over it. 

She turned her eyes onto Blake again, and Blake felt the urge of her ears under her bow to flatten against her head at the look in her eyes - the anger was palpable, that was true, but there was so much pain now, swirling in her eyes and Blake had no idea why.

"It's just some fabric... Isn't it?" Blake replied, suddenly timid at how her partner was reacting. She had only seen Yang blow up a few times, and several of those times was mostly because of battle. One other time was in the classroom when Blake was being too stubborn to listen to her, which she realised she deserved.

But this... This was different. And Blake's heart plummeted when she realised it was because of her. 

" _Blake."_ Yang seethed, clenching her fist around her scarf, sparks igniting in her hair as she let out a growl of frustration, shutting her eyes. "It's not just a piece of stupid fabric!" 

Her words echoed around them, bouncing off the walls as she opened her eyes again, the red more prominent now, and Blake felt helpless as her partner's eyes filled with tears.

"Why didn't you ask me first? Why didn't you wait?!" Yang said, waving her hands around violently with the scarf still held tight in her one hand, eventually pressing it close to her chest and levelling her angry gaze on Blake again.

"I didn't... I don't know, I just-" Blake had so many thoughts and so many things she wanted to say but nothing made it out in time, and Yang scoffed a little, a few tears slipping down her cheeks as she raised the scarf to Blake's face.

" _Summer_ gave me this! She gave it to me before she... She..." Yang couldn't finish the sentence, but she didn't have to.

Everything hit Blake like a ton of bricks, and she almost choked around her own gasp at what she realised she had done.

Fuck.

"Yang, I'm so-" she started, but Yang just wiped furiously at her eyes and spun around, clutching the scarf and quickly going to the door, opening it up. She didn't look back or say anything - simply stepped out and slammed the door, the force reverberating through Blake's body from head to toe.

Her heart cracked, shame and guilt washing over her and weighing her down. 

If only she had waited for her to come back - if only she hadn't acted like that about something so dear to Yang's heart.

Granted, Yang hadn't told her that piece of her yet - about that scarf, and how and why it meant so much to her. But that didn't matter now.

She hurt Yang, but she wouldn't leave things like this.

With determined eyes and steps, she swiftly left the room and ran down the hallway, searching high and low for Yang, going to all the spots she knew of that she may be - the classroom where they had their talk, the courtyard where she sometimes brought her bike to show off to people, the cafeteria where some kids were still loitering around, but when she asked if Yang had been there, no one gave her a proper answer.

Last but not least, though, she went to the garden.

She found her there, sitting on one of the benches and staring down at the scarf in her hands, tears falling from her eyes and blanketing the scarf in wet patches. 

Blake swallowed thickly, heart pricking with pain at the sight of her partner this way.

She took a breath and slowly but surely walked up to the bench, gingerly placing herself on the furthest corner of it, the opposite side that Yang was on.

She wanted to make it right. Wanted to be there for her, let her cry on her shoulder.

But she caused her tears, so space was probably the best choice right now.

She waited another minute or so, until Yang's cries turned into light sniffles, her eyes relatively dry. Blake watched her play with the fabric another moment longer before she spoke.

"Yang..." Blake began, and she noticed her shoulders tense up for a minute, but continued on. "I'm... _so_ sorry. I- I had no idea-" She was stuttering again, and she clamped her mouth shut to collect herself. 

Yang kept her gaze downwards still.

Blake licked her lips and shifted in her seat, glancing up to Yang's profile.

"I didn't know it was... From her." Blake didn't say her name - she didn't need to for her message to get across. "But it doesn't matter... I still... Acted ignorant and didn't wait for permission and I'm so sorry." 

She waited a beat to see if Yang wanted her to go, but her partner continued her vow of silence.

"I don't know... Much about your mom." Blake continued, scooting a bit closer to her partner on the bench. "But I know that it hurts... And it was wrong of me to use something so special to you like that. And I promise I'll never do that again... And I'll even take it and hand wash it myself if-"

"Blake, stop." Yang interrupted, sniffling a bit before finally meeting Blake's eyes. Her anger was gone, replaced with sadness, a tired sort of energy leaking from her body. 

"I'm sorry for blowing up like that." Yang said, sighing lightly and scooting herself a bit closer to Blake. Blake blinked at her words, but Yang barreled forward without waiting to see what she'd say. "You didn't know. And yeah, it hurts a lot... But I know it was an accident. So... Don't worry about it."

Relief flooded through her at the tiny smile she received, and with permission from Yang, she shifted herself even closer, their thighs pressing together on the bench.

"I understand if you... Need space for a bit." Blake said, testing the waters by reaching out to lay her hand over Yang's that was clenched around the scarf. "But... If you want to talk about her, you know I'll listen."

Yang's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes flicking down to where their hands were touching. 

After a moment of quiet, Yang took a shuddering breath and straightened up to look at Blake again, smile returning to her lips.

"I can tell you when she bought this for me." Yang said with a lopsided grin, and Blake returned it, nodding as Yang launched into the chaotic story.

Blake listened - she laughed with her, let her lay her head on her shoulder when she got too emotional. 

And although Blake caused some of that pain, it seemed that things would be okay. Things weren't completely ruined between them, and she had to relish in the relief she felt from that.

She messed up, but she vowed not to do that again. The look in Yang's eyes was something she hadn't seen much of before - that hurt, that anger directed towards her.

And as she pressed her side against Yang's, their laughter mingling together in that beautiful, flower filled garden in the sunset light, she was grateful that Yang's eyes held that light again, that gentle and inviting warmth aimed solely at her.

She hoped she wouldn't cause those eyes to shift to anger and pain ever again. 


	50. Soft Morning (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Established relationship bees + soft bees
> 
> Premise: future bees after the war where they're living together and happy <3

It was rare for Blake to wake up earlier than Yang in the mornings.

They were both pretty light sleepers - fighting in a war had taught them to always be on edge, to be ready for anyone trying to ambush them or creep up on them when they least expected it.

However, after the war had ended and having been together for the last couple of years - thank Gods for Sun practically _forcing_ them to confess to each other on their trip to Vacuo - they both decided to take the next step and move in together, both of them quickly finding out that although they had as much time as they wanted to catch up on sleep, Yang still managed to get out of bed before her most days.

The decision to live together wasn’t a shock to the other half of their team - but it didn’t stop Ruby and Weiss from constantly teasing them about it.

“You sure about this Blake?” Ruby had said on moving day, smirking in a lighthearted manner at her sister. “You may have had a taste of what Yang’s like in the dorms, but she’s even _worse_ at home! There’s the chainsaw snoring, being godawful at cooking, getting up super early to work out-” Ruby began listing all of these things, counting them on her fingers until Yang sputtered and cut her off with a swift headlock. Ruby whined in protest as she rubbed her fist into Ruby’s hair.

“You jealous Rubes? That why you’re trying to _sabotage_ my attempts at living with the love of my life?” Yang said, saying it so casually with an infuriatingly attractive smirk on her face towards her little sister, and although she had heard it many times over the years, those words never failed to leave Blake a little breathless.

“Gods, can’t believe how _soft_ you are now!” Ruby shot back, giggling as she finally shoved Yang away from her.

Blake watched as they wrestled each other down to the grassy yard of their new home - a modest, one story house down near the water, close by to Patch, where Ruby and Weiss were currently staying. It was independent enough for both of them, but close by for family to not be too far away. Something that Blake knew Yang _needed_.

And Blake would never deny her anything.

“I’m happy for you two.” Weiss said beside her, and Blake glanced at her to see a happy, genuine smile on her friend’s face.

“So am I.” She replied, letting out a dreamlike, almost whimsical sigh as she watched her partner - the love of her life, apple of her eye, roll around on the ground with her sister like the child she was.

“Ugh, gross.” Weiss said in jest, and Blake raised an eyebrow as she looked at her, smirk forming on her lips.

“Oh, as if you don’t want to take this step with Ruby next, hm?” Blake shot back, and she giggled lightly at the flush on Weiss’ cheeks.

“Absolutely not. I can barely tolerate her in their family home.” Weiss said, but the soft look in her eyes when they landed on Ruby, hoisted over Yang’s shoulder now as they laughed together, betrayed her words.

It was soon after that when Ruby and Weiss helped them bring their stuff inside, and once the dust had settled and everything was in its place, they waved goodbye to the other couple as they left them.

It didn’t truly sink in for her or Yang that they were together, in _their_ home, until a few days into living there.

And even a week later, Blake didn’t regret her decision as she cracked her eyes open in the morning, pleasantly surprised to see Yang still in bed with her, back pressed against her front.

Yang would usually already be up some days - either going on her usual run, or working out in their living room. And Blake would be lying if she said it bothered her - being more than happy to watch in on her girlfriend work her muscles and glisten with sweat as she pushed her body to the limit.

She was a simple bisexual woman after all.

However, waking up to find Yang clearly content to stay in her arms that morning was a gift she didn’t know she needed till now.

Blake rubbed the sleep from her eyes and her ears flicked happily when Yang shifted a little in her sleep, her eyes following the rays of sunlight bathing onto Yang’s bare shoulders, accentuating the light freckles there.

Blake smiled and leaned forward, humming in content when her lips made contact with the soft, smooth skin of Yang’s right shoulder. She wrapped her arm further around Yang’s waist, but her partner remained dead to the world.

Blake hummed again and began trailing her lips upwards, shifting onto her elbow once her lips reached the side of Yang’s exposed neck. She began pressing soft, light kisses there, Yang twitching ever so slightly, but still fast asleep.

“Yang.” Blake breathed softly into her neck, and with the lack of response, she smiled a little and moved her hand to Yang’s hip. She started to tickle her fingers up her lover’s side, Yang twitching once more, and all the way up her arm, before tickling them back down, repeating the process a few times.

She continued to pepper kisses on her neck and jawline, and eventually, Yang began to stir.

Blake watched as her eyes fluttered, and she paused in her movements, shifting a bit away from her neck.

“Hey, who said you could stop?” Yang said, voice rough with sleep. Blake let out a huff of laughter when Yang clumsily reached behind her to thread her fingers into Blake’s hair, encouraging her to return to what she was doing. When Blake’s lips made contact again, Yang sighed in content.

“Better.” Yang said.

Blake breathed out another laugh, before reaching around her girlfriend to shift her onto her back, Yang’s lilac eyes half-lidded as she looked up at her. Blake smiled softly and reached up to caress her bangs back from her forehead.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Blake said gently. Yang blinked a few times and opened her eyes a bit more, looking up at her with a sleepy smile as she reached her hand up to cup Blake’s cheek, caressing her thumb along her cheekbone.

“Hey.” Yang replied.

Blake nuzzled into Yang’s touch, smiling at the giggle she received when she pressed a kiss to Yang’s palm on her cheek, looking down into soft lilac eyes.

“You should forget about working out in the mornings so you can wake up with me more often.” Blake said. Yang’s grin turned lopsided and she hummed thoughtfully, looking up at her with mischief in her eyes.

“Please, you _love_ seeing me sweat, darlin’.” Yang said cheekily, and before Blake could react, she was suddenly on her back with Yang looking down at her, love and softness radiating from her eyes.

“You have no proof of that.” Blake replied, and Yang’s lip curled up into a smirk, a hum escaping her throat as she looked down at her.

Yang lowered herself down and began brushing her lips along Blake’s neck, gently laying several kisses there, leaving goosebumps behind on Blake’s skin. Blake let out a sigh of pleasure, tilting her head to give Yang more access, her partner taking the opportunity to trail her lips upwards to her jawline.

“Hmm, I think last night was enough proof of that.” Yang breathed into her skin, and Blake smiled, wrapping her arms around Yang’s neck to encourage her to continue what she was doing.

“I think I may need more evidence of that.” Blake said, and Yang trailed her lips even further up, pulling away a bit to look down at her. Her eyes had lit up at that, and she grinned down at her before softly capturing her lips with her own.

Blake smiled against her lips and eagerly pressed her body up against her lover’s, delighting in the soft sound from Yang’s throat, which she swallowed up with her own lips.

A tingly, warm sensation travelled through her body as she felt Yang’s fingers, so gentle and delicate even after all this time, trickle their way up her sides under the blanket, a shiver passing through her body.

Yang pulled her lips away, and before Blake could playfully protest, Yang met her eyes with a spark in hers.

“That can be arranged.” Yang said, smirking at her and then swooping down to take her lips again, the gentle but firm pressure sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine again.

This really wasn’t what Blake expected their morning would be like, but she certainly had no complaints whatsoever.

Maybe it was a good idea to wake up before Yang more often.


	51. Date in Atlas (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: simply a jealous yang prompt
> 
> premise: a random point in volume 7 where the bees have gone out together at night in atlas

Yang wasn’t sure what to make of Atlas quite yet.

The surrounding snowy hills and mountains in the tundra were a big plus for her - they were beautiful, and she remembered when they were flying over those hills and valleys of snow on their way into the city that the moon shone down and bathed those flakes of white in an almost ethereal light, something that took her breath away the first time she saw it.

However, the bitter winds and cold of Atlas kind of counteracted how beautiful it could be.

She shivered as she and Blake walked down the streets of Atlas, a multitude of shops, odds and ends littering both sides of the street. Some were still open - a few clothing stores had their lights on, but when Yang glanced into one of the display windows and saw the price tag for a simple looking black coat, she swiftly looked away with a shake of her head.

That much Lien for a coat? How did Weiss _live_ here for so long?

“So… Um…” Blake suddenly spoke, her breath clouding in front of her from the frosty air.

Oh right, she thought to herself, better actually _talk_ to the girl you asked out, Yang.

“Um…” Yang began - a really great start, clearly. She flushed, definitely not from the cold anymore, and glanced around them, eyes narrowing in on a small cafe not far from them on the other side and a bit down the street. Her eyes lit up and she stopped Blake with a touch to her arm, startling her partner slightly, but helped her understand by pointing towards said cafe, grin on her face.

“We could get some tea there? I know, um, you like it a lot, so…” Yang’s voice turned soft and unsure towards the end, butterflies filling her stomach at the look that Blake gave her then - so soft and open and _happy_ , her ears flicking on her head before she nodded at her, smiling back at her.

“Sure.” Blake replied, helping to relieve some of the tension coiling in Yang’s stomach at possibly messing _any_ of this up.

She wasn’t exactly sure what _this_ was yet, if she were being honest. Yang has been aware of her feelings for a long time - practically since Beacon, even before Blake left her to go to Menagerie. Perhaps they weren’t as strong back then as they were now, but she had always admired Blake - always thought of her as the beautiful, passionate, strong person that she was.

And _funny_ \- genuinely funny and sarcastic, a bit of a tease - and Yang would always be thankful that they met in that forest all that time ago, sealing their fates together with one simple look and starting Yang’s path of falling head over heels for her.

Blake was still staring at her, a bit of concern in her eyes and her eyebrows pinched together and Yang realised she hadn’t actually said anything back, and had simply been staring at her partner for who knows how long with a dumbstruck look on her face - probably.

“Oh!” Yang said, clearing her throat and shaking herself out of her thoughts, cheeks warming at the giggle she received from Blake, her hand coming up to block her mouth as she did and Yang couldn’t help the flutter in her heart.

Gods, could she not be cute for two seconds?

“Right, um, let’s go!” Yang said, smiling nervously for a few seconds before scratching the back of her head. She slowly held her arm out, glancing into Blake’s eyes, the amber glowing underneath the streetlight they had stopped by. 

Blake looked down at her arm, and Yang basked in the soft smile on Blake’s face and the light blush on her cheeks - hopefully from her - as she reached out to her, looping their arms together and then curling her right hand around Yang’s bicep.

Wow, okay - remember to _breathe_ , Yang.

With a quick, calming breath, Yang led them further down the sidewalk, reminding herself to take actual breaths and not hold them in whenever Blake shifted her hand on her arm. It got even worse when she decided to _lay her head on her shoulder_ as they walked, snuggling herself into her side. Yang’s heart pounded and she tried her best to remain calm, and she proved successful as they continued down the sidewalk.

Eventually, they crossed the street and walked right up to the little cafe, the open sign still bright and blinding in their eyes as they approached. Yang quickly disentangled herself from Blake to rush forward and open the door for her, the tiny bell ringing above her heads.

Blake blinked and looked at her, ears flicking on her head as she laughed - such a sweet, melodic sound that Yang felt was a _privilege_ to hear. Her hand brushed Yang’s as she passed her, a soft smile still on her face when she met her gaze.

“Why, thank you, Good Sir.” Blake said, donning a posh, proper accent and Yang snorted a laugh at it, causing Blake to giggle as well as they shuffled into the cafe together, the warmth inside immediately overtaking their cold bodies and cheeks.

“Anything for you, m’lady.” Yang said cheekily, delighting in the wide smile on Blake’s face.

They found a spot in the corner of the place, settling down after telling the barista what each of them wanted - Sage tea for Blake, and a simple hot chocolate for Yang.

“I don’t understand why you hate tea.” Blake said, an amused glint in her eye when Yang pulled a face at the word, shaking her head.

“I don’t understand how you _like_ it.” Yang shot back.

“There’s a lot of good uses for tea, you know.” Blake said, laying her chin in her hand as she stared across at her, that same twinkle in her eyes not going away anytime soon. “For example, Sage is well known to help improve your cognitive functions, whereas something like Lemon Balm tea can lift your mood.” Blake continued, and Yang wasn’t entirely sure what either of those types of tea were or what they were like, but she truly didn’t care. 

When Blake got passionate about something, her eyes took on this whole new different light - almost like someone struck a match into her eyes and lit up the fire in them, and Yang would happily burn in those flames for as long as she lived and listen to her partner talk about tea forever if she could just simply watch her like this. Where her guard was down, and where she trusted Yang with everything that she may not trust to others.

Blake had stopped talking at one point, and Yang blinked a few times, realising that she was simply sitting and staring at her and hadn’t really heard past Lemon Balm tea, and Blake’s cheeks were suddenly a bright red and her ears lowered on her head, her hand raising to play with the ends of her hair.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to… You know, make this super boring or anything.” Blake said, and Yang’s eyes widened, her head shaking violently.

“No! No, trust me, listening to you talk would never be boring to me.” Yang blurted out, flushing when she realised what she just said, but the dejected look in Blake’s eyes was at least now replaced with something much softer - almost disbelief as well.

“Really?” Blake replied in a soft tone, as if she couldn’t believe Yang had said something like that to her and Yang suddenly had the urge to go and punch every single person that may have made Blake feel like that - that her words didn’t matter, that what she loved or what she enjoyed talking about was a waste of time, that _she_ didn’t matter.

Then again, she realised, she couldn’t exactly go and punch the person most responsible anymore.

“Of course.” Yang said with a gentle smile, deciding to be daring and reach out to grasp Blake’s hand in her own, her lilac eyes soft and adoring towards her partner, who still seemed a bit unsure. “Listen, you could be talking about what you threw in the garbage this morning and it would still be interesting.”

Blake snorted, quickly covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed, and Yang giggled along with her, squeezing her hand in her own.

They were rudely interrupted at that moment - a different barista than the one that took their orders sauntered up to them, a boy with floppy brown hair and an easy-going smile, one that prickled Yang’s skin when she realised it was aimed solely at Blake.

“This your tea?” The boy said, voice too sweet and too sugary for Yang’s liking, and Blake nodded at him as he placed it down in front of her. Yang narrowed her eyes when he barely looked at her as he placed her hot chocolate down in front of her, rather roughly. Blake glanced at her, and a look of concern flashed across her face, but she was soon being addressed by the boy again.

“That’s my favourite kind of tea, you know.” The boy said, and Blake blinked up at him, hesitantly smiling a little back at him. Yang’s brow crinkled but she remained silent as the exchange continued.

“Oh? It’s one of mine too.” Blake replied in a polite tone, and the boy beamed at her.

“Rooibos tea is also _so_ good, isn’t it? I definitely recommend it.” He said, leaning a bit closer to Blake as he spoke, and Yang continued to watch with a keen eye. She felt the twitch in her jaw, but she tried to force it down. Blake was there with _her_ \- she _chose_ to spend time with Yang, chose to snuggle up to her on their walk over, and has been very transparent that she was having a good time. Even Yang could see that - but, the familiar swirl of envy sprinkled itself into her stomach and her mind and it was hard for her not to say something when the boy leaned a hand on the table to look more closely at her partner, completely ignoring Yang on the other side of the table.

“I don’t think I’ve… Tried that one.” Blake seemed even more hesitant now, but remained polite with the boy, and she even looked interested in whatever tea he had just recommended to her.

It made Yang pause - that interest in Blake’s eyes as the boy spoke about another kind of tea, and although she could tell that Blake was also getting increasingly annoyed at him, it was that spark of interest that was briefly there that settled a cold sensation all over her body.

She had no idea about any of that stuff. She had no clue about what the best books were, the best kinds of tea, never had any clue about the wars that Blake may fight in the future with the White Fang. That was bigger picture stuff that Yang hadn’t given much attention to, along with the smaller things that her partner enjoyed that although she would sit for hours listening to Blake talk about them, she wasn’t entirely knowledgeable on them to begin with.

She would happily learn all of that from Blake over time - what she liked, what she didn’t like, what was on her mind. 

But, did Blake want that as well? Or did she want someone that already valued those things?

This kid was _still_ talking and his voice began to grate on Yang’s last nerve, and although she may regret it later, she suddenly let out a noise of frustration and stood up. The boy stopped talking to flash an annoyed look at her, and Blake glanced at her, but Yang just stared at the boy and flashed a sickly sweet smile, clapping a hand onto his shoulder and almost knocking him down.

“Look…” Yang glanced to his name tag, clearly reading the name ‘Cole’ in big, bold letters. She smirked and looked back into the boy’s eyes, slight fear in them now that he realised that Yang towered over him. “Calvin, I’m sure your knowledge of tea is astounding - truly. But do you mind, I don’t know, leaving the lady alone and letting our _date_ continue?”

The boy stammered at the fire in Yang’s gaze, her grip tightening a little on his shoulder and he suddenly nodded violently, ripping himself away from their table and backing up a little.

“R-Right, um, I’ll just-” He stuttered, and then cleared his throat and rushed his way back towards the other barista, who was trying hard to fight the smile on her lips.

Yang let out a deep sigh, the slight rage and envy dissipating as she settled in her seat again. She wrapped her hands around her, thankfully, still warm hot chocolate and blew on it a little, pointedly ignoring the gaze trained on her from across the table.

“That was… Quite the interaction.” Blake said, and Yang paused just before her hot chocolate could meet her lips, glancing over the rim of the mug to look into Blake’s eyes. There was downright amusement in them - her smirk adding onto that and Yang flushed under her gaze, licking her suddenly dry lips before taking a quick sip of her beverage.

Once she had taken a bit into her mouth and swallowed, she put down her mug again, shifting in her seat.

“He wouldn’t leave us alone.” Yang replied, and Blake hummed at her, smirk not going away even as she tilted her cup to swallow some more of her tea. Yang licked her lips again and reached for her drink, bringing it up to her lips to take another sip.

“Right… Cause this is a date, hm?” Blake said.

Yang sputtered around the rim of her mug, choking a bit on some hot chocolate. She coughed and put her mug down on the table, Blake making a surprised sound and swiftly coming to her side of the table, laying a hand on her back and patting a few times.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked, concern lacing her voice.

Yang coughed a bit more, taking a couple of breaths to steady herself. She cleared her throat and threw a thumbs up to her partner, who breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled down at her, before settling herself back down into her own seat.

Once Yang was able to form coherent sentences, she spoke again.

“I- um, I mean…” Yang winced at how _nervous_ she sounded, cringing at the shy nature she suddenly was taking on in front of the girl of her dreams across the table from her. She took another breath and looked right into Blake’s eyes, steeling her resolve as best she could.

“I… Want it to be.” Yang finally said, so soft that she was sure Blake would have missed it without her Faunus ears. Blake’s cheeks tinged pink all of a sudden, but before she could say anything, Yang barrelled forward, flushing with embarrassment. “Only if- you know, like, _you_ want it to be. I… Love being with you, Blake. And…” Yang paused, clearing her throat to hopefully help build some more of that courage.

“And… Gods, Blake, I’ve been pretty crazy about you since the moment we met so…” Yang trailed off at the end uncertainty blanketing over her at the stunned look in Blake’s eyes at that, her ears lowering on her head and the pink on her cheeks deepening. Blake’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly recovered - how does she _do_ that? - and smirked at Yang.

“So that’s why you almost murdered that boy.” Blake teased, and Yang groaned, laying her head in her hands while also shaking it in disbelief.

“I’m sorry-” Yang started, but Blake cut her off by reaching out to her and grasping one of her hands, stretching her other one to lay itself over top of said hand, cradling it in both of hers at once. Blake met her eyes and smiled so bright that Yang swore she was going to be blinded.

“I can handle my own battles.” Blake said, but before Yang could apologise again in any way, she continued and said, “But I know having you by my side in those battles, defending me and making sure I’m okay, is something I’ve wanted ever since we reunited.”

She paused and squeezed both her hands around Yang’s, not once breaking their eye contact.

“No need to be jealous.” She sing-songed with a cute giggle at Yang’s protest of ‘I wasn’t.’ “I’m… Pretty crazy about you too, Yang Xiao Long. And… I’m _hoping_ this is a date, because I’ve wanted to go on one with you since the Emerald Forest. And I’m hoping… We can go on more, if we find the time.” Blake finished, blush still on her face and a nervous energy in her voice.

Warmth spread from Yang’s chest to the rest of her body, a bright smile overtaking her features at Blake’s confession in that small cafe, their hands intertwined and their hearts beating with so much love for each other.

Yang nodded back at her, knowing her smile was most likely cheesy and dopey, but she didn’t care.

“Me too.” Yang replied, revelling at the beautiful smile Blake threw her way.

Blake was there with her, and they were working towards what they’ve both wanted for a very long time. And no matter who or what got in their way, Yang knew that they would survive in the end.

First, Yang may need to go apologise to that barista for making him wet his pants.


	52. Breaking the Silence (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: college au where yang is mute due to losing summer and her arm in an accident, blake befriends her and eventually yang says i love you to her
> 
> premise: pretty self explanatory! college au bees, but faunus still exist here because i could never get rid of blake's ears they're too great

Everyone knew of the girl that didn’t speak.

It was hard not to know her - rumours upon rumours about her had spread like wildfire once people realised the girl refused to speak. No one had a concrete answer as to why she was mute, and that kind of ammunition gave people ideas about what rumours to spread. To add fuel to the fire, people began thinking up all sorts of crazy things about the girl’s missing arm as well - her prosthetic giving those same people even more ammunition to bother her about what happened to her.

Blake never believed any of them, and she certainly didn’t agree with badgering someone who had their own reasons for not speaking, especially when they were an amputee with a prosthetic arm. She wasn’t going to actively try and discover some deep, dark secret that the person may be keeping.

It was made clear by the staff at the college that she would have special accommodations for her muteness, and her arm - and in the classes that Blake had with the girl, usually their electives, she would use what seemed to be her limited knowledge of sign language and writing things down to ask questions or talk to people.

Yang Xiao Long was her name, and Blake had become interested in her the moment she laid eyes on her on orientation day - shortly before their first day of college and Blake already became interested in another person.

Blake recalled that day like it was yesterday. They were in completely different majors - Yang in engineering and Blake in politics - but somehow their paths crossed when they saw each other in the bathroom of the school, of all places.

Blake was washing her hands, thinking of the many decisions she would have to make about living on campus or not, how she would meet friends - the usual things, and then suddenly a blonde girl walked into the room, looking underneath the stalls only to see that none were currently available.

Blake glanced to her, breath almost being completely sucked from her lungs when she laid eyes on the halo of golden hair on her head, falling in perfect curls onto her shoulders. And those _eyes_ \- so bright and vibrant in the lights of the bathroom above them and a beautiful shade of lilac that Blake had never seen before.

And they were now trained on _her_ , and it was then she realised she had been caught staring so blatantly with the tap still running and her hands much warmer and wrinkly than they needed to be under the hot water.

Blake stuttered and switched off the taps, breaking her gaze on the stranger before quickly rushing to the paper towels, pulling a few sheets out to dry her hands silently. She could feel the stranger’s eyes on her all the while, and when she dared a peek at her, the girl smiled brightly at her.

Blake blinked, hesitantly smiling back and clearing her throat, pointing towards the stalls that were all full.

“Someone should be out soon. Hopefully you don’t have to wait too long.” Blake said, keeping her voice as low as possible as to not anger anybody in those stalls, since she was quite literally talking about them to a stranger. A stranger who tilted her head and looked behind her at the stalls, before she returned her gaze to Blake, chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation.

She suddenly raised her hands and began signing in front of her, catching her off guard.

She looked to her hands, and thankfully, Blake had learned a tiny bit of ASL during high school and on her own time, and while she wasn’t amazing at it, she knew well enough to realise what she was saying to her.

“You go here?” The girl signed to her, and Blake nodded, throwing out her paper towels and then raising her own hands to sign back to her. The girl stopped her by raising her hands, shaking them a little as if to say ‘hold on’, and then she signed, “I can hear you. I’m not deaf.”

Blake wrinkled her brow at that, glancing up into the stranger’s eyes.

“Mute.” The girl signed, and recognition flooded Blake all of a sudden.

“Oh, got it. I understand.” Blake said politely, and the girl nodded once at her. Before their conversation could continue, one of the stalls finally opened up, a girl around their age walking out and washing her hands at the sinks. The stranger looked relieved at the open stall.

The stranger looked back to her and smiled gently, and Blake would be lying if she said her heart didn’t flutter the tiniest bit.

“Nice to meet you. See you around?” The stranger signed, and Blake nodded without thinking, smiling back at her as she turned and walked into the stall, closing the door and ending their conversation.

It didn’t take Blake long to realise that she hadn’t actually gotten that stranger’s name, but it didn’t matter.

Yang was, somehow, in all of her elective classes. It was almost eerie how similar their interests were outside of their majors, and even if Blake hadn’t spoken many more words to the girl, Yang always made an effort to at least say hi to her in class and ask if she needed any help.

She was beyond sweet - and Blake was determined to get to know her better, seeing as pretty much all year she hadn’t properly befriended her.

So, there she was - in between classes and staring at Yang from across the library, the girl’s head down in her notebook while her hand steadily wrote notes out. Blake took a breath and before she could hesitate any longer, walked over towards her.

She licked her dry lips when she approached, standing on the opposite side of the table as Yang continued to write her notes, not noticing Blake standing there at first. It took Blake clearing her throat for Yang to jump in her seat, shooting her eyes up to meet Blake’s. Blake raised her hand to wave, and Yang’s cheeks tinted pink as she waved back, watching Blake as she settled herself down in one of the extra chairs at the table.

“Hey, Yang.” Blake said in a whisper, mindful of the volume.

Yang simply waved again, straightening herself up from her notebook to look at Blake more directly, the cute flush remaining on her cheeks. Blake smiled softly and dug around in her pocket, before pulling out two flimsy pieces of paper, slightly crumpled from her jeans pocket, and sliding them towards Yang on the table.

“So… My friend Weiss told me about this really nice coffee shop not far from here. And I was able to get two free drink coupons there.” Blake began, Yang’s eyes flitting from the two coupons on the table and Blake’s eyes, which were trying very hard to remain on the girl across from her despite the nerves swirling around in her stomach. “They expire Saturday though, so… You know, if you’re free before that, maybe you’d like to hang out there for a bit?”

Yang blinked at her several times. She looked down to the coupons again, and the longer she said nothing, Blake became increasingly worried that she was overstepping or asking too much of the girl. She worried her bottom lip in between her teeth, waiting as patiently as she could for Yang’s answer as her ears began to lower on her head out of anxiety.

Yang suddenly smiled and nodded with eagerness, relief washing over Blake in an instant.

“Great.” Blake said, ears perking up on her head.

“I’m free tomorrow.” Yang signed to her, and Blake nodded, just as eager and excited and she had no qualms about showing all of that on her face. She only hand a handful of friends, and only two of them went to the same school as her - Sun and Weiss, and she was grateful every day that she still had them around. But Yang was… Different. She was someone that Blake had been wanting to get to know since she first saw her - wanted to know what she was thinking, what her passions were, what she was into.

And this was her chance.

“I’ll see you tomorrow after classes then? Maybe around 3?” Blake asked, and when Yang nodded again, Blake’s heart sped up in her chest. Blake smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up, which made Yang silently laugh. Blake stood up from the table, stepping around it to walk back towards the entrance.

“See you later, Yang.” Blake said, and with Yang’s bright smile towards her, she walked away from the table with a pep in her step and excitement pumping in her veins.

From then on, they would meet at that little coffee shop near their school - sometimes with Yang’s younger sister Ruby, who continuously teased her sister about embarrassing things she did in her youth, and sometimes with Weiss, who would do the exact same things with Blake, almost as if they were in cahoots without even meeting each other.

But for the most part, it was Blake and Yang. And over time, Blake had come to know a lot about her new friend, and Blake had opened up a lot about herself.

“Are you…” Yang was signing to her one day in the coffee shop, before pausing in her movements with a contemplative look in her eyes, looking simultaneously afraid but curious to ask whatever question she had on her mind. Blake tilted her head, ears pricked forward in interest as she gestured for her to continue. Yang licked her lips and signed the rest of her question: “Are you dating anyone?”

Blake blinked, completely caught off guard with that question. She briefly thought that Yang was asking for _her_ \- because she liked her, but Blake pushed that thought away as quickly as it had come. They were friends - best friends, and Blake didn’t want to jump to conclusions about anything like that.

“I had an ex…” She replied, cradling a cup of tea in her hands and Yang straightened up on her end, giving her a look of concern in her warm lilac eyes. Blake smiled briefly, wincing at the memories that stirred up in her mind. She wasn’t… Fond of bringing Adam up in conversation, and there was a part of her that wished she hadn’t said anything, and there was that same part of her that didn’t want to tell Yang the whole truth.

But, she knew in her heart that Yang was different. Yang never judged her for anything - she understood her, listened to her when she wanted to talk about her problems, and Blake would do the same for her as best she could. It was usually hard for Blake to openly trust anybody, especially after Adam came into her life, but something about Yang was so inviting and captivating - almost like she couldn’t look away, couldn’t pull herself away from the almost never ending understanding and warmth that she could give.

Maybe Blake had a teensy, tiny bit of a crush on her, okay?

“His name was Adam…” Blake continued, shaking her head a little and gazing out at the snow falling to the ground, some of the flakes tinkling against the glass of the windows of the shop. “We met close to the end of high school, and he was…” Blake trailed off, exhaling slowly before starting back up again. “He was intense. He was… Passionate, to say the least. About things that I was passionate about too - like Faunus rights, and other civil rights movements, stuff like that. And when we met, I instantly fell for that part of him.”

She tore her eyes away from the window to look at Yang, who didn’t try to interrupt. She simply sat and stared at Blake with those same kind eyes as always and Blake immediately felt a sense of ease wash over her. She was comforted by those eyes so easily - and that smile that seemed to hold so much happiness and warmth despite her circumstances.

“It was a year into our relationship where things went wrong. He would… Start to belittle me, say I wasn’t doing enough for the cause. He would… Try to control my schedule sometimes too, warp it so I’d have all my time with _him_ and a gang he formed with other Faunus - a violent one.” She said, gripping her tea cup a bit harder as she recounted the story. “He would question my faith to our people,, when I disagreed with their methods, question my faith to _him_ and I would jump through hoops to defend myself. But it wasn’t enough…” She had to trail off again, feeling a build up in her chest. 

Yang reached out then, and took one of her hands that was wrapped around the tea cup. Blake allowed the contact and looked up to Yang, her eyes a mixture of so many things - anger, sadness, disbelief. Most of all, there was a genuine apology in there, and Blake was quick to dispel that.

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Blake said, trying her best to smile through the painful memories. “It was a while ago now. It… Was the worst time of my life, being treated that way and being caught up in all that. But my parents and my friends helped me out of that situation, and now I’m here.” Blake said, shrugging her shoulders. She caught a subtle shift in Yang’s eyes at the mention of parents, and Blake wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it made her realise that she didn’t know a whole lot about Yang’s childhood or family situation outside of Ruby being her sister.

“What’s your family like? I’ve heard a bit from Ruby, but…” Blake asked, and Yang immediately froze up, her hand still holding Blake’s, but going completely limp in shock at the question. Blake blinked at the reaction, unsure of how to feel about the sudden change in her friend. But soon after, Yang took a breath and retracted her hand from Blake, clasping both of them on the table near her cup of coffee, flesh and metal coming together in unison. 

“Hard to talk about.” Yang signed quickly, so quick that Blake almost missed it. But she saw it, and guilt weighed down on her shoulders at the far off look in Yang’s eyes, as if reliving something that she didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” Blake began, but Yang held up a hand to stop her.

“It’s okay.” Yang signed, and she paused briefly, before signing, “I trust you, Blake. I think… I want to talk about it.”

And so, she did - she recounted the story of the accident that left her without a mother and her arm. She went through the details as best she could, and wherever it was necessary, Blake held her hand to guide her through the pain in her eyes and shakiness of her shoulders.

It was in high school, and her mother picked her up like usual at the end of the day, waiting there outside the gates. Her mother’s smile was bright, and she ruffled Yang’s hair when she got inside the car, and Yang had laughed and told her to leave it alone. Her mother just smiled, and it wasn’t long into their drive, in the middle of a riveting conversation about how her sister Ruby had tried shoving cookies up her nose, when a semi-truck came out of nowhere and collided right into them.

The impact was on Summer’s side, and the car had flipped several times over, and by the time it was all over, Yang’s arm had been crushed in between the seats and the car door, mangled and broken to the point that the doctors said it was best to amputate.

And her mother…

“She was dead on arrival.” Yang signed, finishing her story with a tear sliding down her cheek. Blake’s heart constricted painfully and she leaned forward, swiping her finger across Yang’s cheek to catch the tear.

“I’m so sorry, Yang.” Blake replied in a gentle, careful tone, aware of how fragile she may be feeling.

“From that day on, I just… Shutdown. Refused to speak to anyone, even Ruby and my dad.” Yang explained, sniffling a little and glancing up into Blake’s eyes. “It just… Was too much for me to deal with.”

“I understand.” Blake said, cradling Yang’s cheek in her palm, heart racing when Yang pressed into her touch, her eyes sliding shut as her breaths began to even out from the intensity of the story.

“Thank you. For trusting me with that.” Blake said, and Yang’s eyes opened again to look into hers, a tiny smile curling on the corner of her lip as she raised her metal hand, laying it over top of Blake’s on her cheek and squeezing gently before pulling away.

“Of course.” Yang signed. “I trust you more than anyone, to be honest.”

Blake’s breath hitched at that, and even after that heart wrenching recount of losing her mother, Yang still looked happy to be there with her, warmth radiating from her gaze as always and Blake felt her stomach flip-flop when Yang leaned forward a bit, pressing her forehead against Blake’s across the table.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Yang signed to her, stealing more of the breath in Blake’s lungs with that simple statement.

Okay, maybe it was more than a crush.

It was the last day of classes that year when Yang asked her to meet up with her at that coffee shop, in their signature booth in the back left corner. It had been an interesting couple of weeks since Yang had told her the story of her mother - and Blake had come to the not so startling revelation that her minor crush was definitely more than that.

Yang was… So beautiful. In every sense of the word.

Her looks were of course a major plus - Blake had _eyes_ , okay? - but everything about her on the inside was just as beautiful, if not _more_ so. She seemed to have an endless amount of light in her eyes, and she always provided Blake with a softness that she was never truly used to, not even from her friends or family. She was.. Light. She was a ray of sunshine in Blake’s once gloomy life and learning more about her over all this time - learning her quirks, her likes and dislikes, learning her passions - it made Blake fall for her more and more.

And she sat across Yang now, with all of those feelings in mind, bursting at the seams when that gentle smile aimed towards her.

“What’s up? Thought you’d be busy with your family today.” Blake asked, and Yang nodded a little, shifting in her seat for a few moments before letting out a gentle sigh, looking into Blake’s eyes.

“I wanted to tell you something.” Yang signed to her. “Something that I’ve been planning to say for a while.”

Blake hated to admit her heart pounded at that, unsure of what in the world Yang may want to say.

“Okay, take your time.” Blake replied, as patient and understanding as ever, and Yang smiled gratefully at her in response.

There were several beats of silence after that, Yang staring a hole into the table as she mulled something over in her mind. Blake remained as patient as she could in her seat, but her leg began to bounce the longer Yang went without saying whatever it was she wanted to say to her.

Yang chewed on her bottom lip, raised her head to look at her properly again.

She opened her lips.

“I…” Her voice came out barely above a croak - barely there to be considered a whisper, and Blake’s heart almost stopped completely as she realised what she was doing. Blake’s ears flicked on her head, desperate to fully hear Yang’s voice, but the girl was still struggling.

“It’s okay. Don’t rush.” Blake said with sincerity, and Yang’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, the girl licking her lips and looking across at her. Her eyes, once struggling and unsure, now held a determined glow and she stretched her hands across the table to close around Blake’s, Blake’s heart doubling in speed.

“I…” Yang tried again, a little louder this time and Blake was easily hearing her voice now - rough and scratchy from inactivity for so long, so many years of silence, but now Blake was being given the chance to hear it for the first time, and she was not going to break her gaze or her concentration in the slightest.

“I… Love… You.” Yang rasped out, gripping tightly onto Blake’s hands.

Blake blinked, almost wondering if she had misheard, or if she imagined that Yang had said that.

Yang must have seen the shock on her face, the apprehension in her eyes because the girl leaned more over the table, raising her hands to cup Blake’s cheeks, ignoring the looks of the other patrons around them in the coffee shop.

“Blake.” Yang said, and _oh_ \- Blake was sure she had never heard a sound as sweet as that, had never seen a sight as beautiful as Yang’s lips forming around her name and whispering it like it was a prayer in the space between their faces. Her eyes were wide and unwavering as she stared into her own and Blake was utterly speechless at what she was witnessing.

“I love you.” Yang repeated, this time bolder and more sure of herself, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

It was so much for Blake to take in - the first words she had ever heard from Yang, the first thing she had thought to say to her, had _chosen_ to say to her after all this time, even when she didn’t need to - was that she loved her.

_She loved her._

Tears sprung into Blake’s eyes, but before Yang could be concerned, Blake reached up and laid her hands on top of Yang’s on her cheeks. Yang’s breath hitched when her eyes met hers, and Blake let out a watery laugh, sniffling and nuzzling her nose against Yang’s ever so softly.

“I love you too.” She whispered, and Yang beamed at her, relief flooding her features and without much more hesitation, she leaned in and sealed their lips together.

Blake melted on the spot, her grip tightening on Yang’s hands, and although she heard the talk amongst the patrons about what they were doing, and although there were so many thoughts and feelings rushing through her, Yang’s love and her lips grounded her in the moment as soon as they made contact.

She felt a warmth blanket over her as Yang kissed her - so gentle, so careful and patient and _nothing_ like how Adam would kiss her. Her hands were delicately touching her cheeks, and she moved slowly and deliberately against her lips - as if committing the feeling to memory, as if storing it in her mind and heart in case she somehow never got the chance again.

Blake would allow her so many more chances, though. She would give her anything if she asked.

Yang hummed when Blake reached her hand up to thread her fingers in her hair, and Blake’s heart ricocheted around inside of her body at the smile against her lips, the genuine happiness radiating off of both of them. Blake couldn’t help but smile too, and soon they had to separate their lips, giggles escaping both of them.

“I love you.” Yang said again, voice still rough, but no less loving and sincere.

Blake leaned towards her and pecked her nose, giggling at the way Yang scrunched it up, the sight quite possibly being the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.

“I love you too.” Blake replied. “I’m so proud of you.”

A few tears formed in Yang’s eyes, but the love in her eyes made it obvious they were happy tears.

She brought Yang’s hands to her chest and squeezed them, their smiles bright and unwavering towards each other.

Yang loved her.

And even if Yang decided to continue her silence tomorrow, if she wasn’t ready to continue speaking, Blake was okay with that. Because she had the privilege of hearing her voice after all this time, and she finally got to hear, from Yang herself, that the love she felt for her was returned.

And Blake would be grateful for eternity that she got to meet Yang Xiao Long that day, no matter what was thrown at them in the future.


	53. Just a Dream (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: yang comforting blake after a nightmare, specifically making the one shot where yang dies a nightmare - and although i wasn't sure, i still fulfilled this request 
> 
> premise: kind of at the end of volume 8 i guess, after the two days in the show and it's like the night of the second day in terms of that.

_The Hound, holding Yang in one of its massive, clawed hands, began squeezing - clenching harder and harder until a sharp ‘crack’ was heard and Yang’’s howl of pain was the worst sound Blake had ever experienced._

_“Yang! Yang, I’m-I’m coming!” Blake said frantically, looking around her for something to use - something to get her up there, something that could help her do something._

_But all she saw was white blankets of snow around her, Nora and Ren unconscious somewhere, Oscar as well, and the rest of the team off fighting Cinder still._

_And all she could do was watch while The Hound squeezed the life out of her partner, using its other hand to embed its claws deep into Yang’s chest, her partner crying out once more._

_“No!” Blake screamed in agony, helpless and alone on the ground as she dropped to her knees, unable to do anything as the claws sunk deeper and deeper, protruding out of the other side of her body. Blake’s cries and whimpers were the only thing she could hear now, her ears ringing and her blood turning to solid ice when Yang’s head lolled back, her lilac eyes catching hers just briefly before they closed._

_Her body went limp, and The Hound dropped her carelessly to the ground._

_Blake sobbed and sobbed - she expected for her end to come as well, and a part of her wished that it did, as she saw the lifeless body of the most important person in her life not far away from her, and The Hound swooping down to get to her, for the relic._

_But then, almost like a miracle, Ruby and Weiss were suddenly there - fighting the thing and protecting her, and then Penny and Jaune were too, but in her eyes, it didn’t matter._

_Nothing mattered anymore, and even when they finally defeated The Hound, just as they had Cinder, it still didn’t matter._

_Yang’s blood stained the snow red underneath her, and Ruby and Weiss cradled her as they all wailed, crying into each other’s embraces._

_She wished The Hound took her too - took her instead._

_She wished she did a lot of things differently - regarding Yang, the war, the battle that just occurred. So many things went wrong, and now, even with her other friends by her side, Blake was alone._

_Yang laid there in the snow, red pooling from her and it was too much - that colour had been a stain on her life for so long, hurt her and abused her far too much and it was when golden hair and lilac eyes came into her life that she finally felt at peace, finally felt like she had found someone that understood her. That was her home in a place that was so unforgiving and cruel._

_And now her home laid its head in her lap as she cried, not once opening its eyes ever again._

_“I love you too.” Blake sobbed, her tears dripping from her cheeks and onto Yang’s pale skin._

_She wished she had the chance to say it before._

_And now she would never have that chance again._

_***_

Blake awoke with a start, breaths uneven and heavy and skin clammy with a cold sweat. Her heart raced, and she clutched at her chest, curling her fingers into her night shirt tightly with white knuckles.

She couldn’t stop replaying that image - Yang, red pooling underneath her body and Blake laying her head in her lap, her body limp in her grasp.

Blake let out a soft whimper, clenching her eyes shut and trying her best to take deep, calming breaths. It was so _real_ \- it all seemed too vivid, too detailed to be considered just a nightmare. She _felt_ Yang’s lips on hers - _heard_ the confession fall from her lips, _smelled_ the scent of her blood as it dripped onto the snowy ground of the tundra.

She pressed her hands to the sides of her head, shaking it and curling herself up into a ball, taking a few breaths. Another soft sound escaped her throat and it was then that the door opened from across the room, her head shooting up with her ears flattening against her skull.

Yang stepped into the room, sleepily rubbing at her left eye and letting out a small yawn as she closed the door behind her.

Blake was up in seconds - rushing to her partner and colliding into her body. Yang grunted in surprise and fell back against the door, a wheeze escaping her lungs at the sheer force of Blake’s body.

“Whoa, whoa. Hey, what’s wrong?” Yang said, full of concern and her arms wrapped around Blake without any hesitation. Blake whimpered again and pressed herself into Yang’s chest, burying her face into her neck as tears sprang to her eyes, a few of them leaking out onto her cheeks.

She didn’t want to relive all of that - didn’t want to repeat everything that occurred in that horrible nightmare. And Yang seemed to understand that, deducing from her tears and the shakiness of her body that she wasn’t ready, and so the girl held tightly onto Blake, manoeuvring them to sit back down on the edge of the bed.

“Bad dream?” Yang asked, tentative and careful, and with Blake’s small nod, she sighed gently and raised her prosthetic hand to card her fingers through Blake’s hair, lips making contact with the top of Blake’s head, in between her ears. “I’ve got you, it’s okay. Just follow my breathing, okay?”

Blake did as she was told, trying her hardest to focus on the deep, even breathing from Yang, tried to focus on the walls of the Happy Huntresses’ hideout that they had decided to take refuge in after the Whale exploded. They had reunited - Yang was okay, Ren was okay, everyone was okay and back together.

Their confession was _real_ \- it happened shortly after their reunion, and neither of them could handle the idea of losing each other without telling each other how they truly felt. Yang had kissed her - so tenderly, so soft and careful, and it was completely different to how Adam treated her. So different to what she was used to all her life, but she happily welcomed it and had kissed Yang back, holding her close and whispering her “I love you” against her lips.

She focused on all of those things, and the gentle feeling of Yang threading her fingers through her hair and her breathing, her heartbeat pounding underneath Blake’s palm when she placed her hand over top of Yang’s chest in between them.

“You're okay. I’m okay. We’re safe.” Yang said, tender and soft as she kissed the top of Blake’s head. Blake continued to take deep breaths, slowly but surely calming herself down with the help of her partner’s presence, and her warm body underneath her fingertips.

After another moment, she puffed out one more deep breath before pulling herself away from Yang’s chest, only to cup her hands on her cheeks, searching her face and her eyes to ensure she was truly there, to convince herself that Yang was really okay.

Yang gazed back at her, allowing her to graze her cheekbones with her thumbs, allowing her to trace some of the cuts still on her face, down to her jawline. 

“Hmm, not that I’m complaining at all this attention, but… Are you doing okay? Do you… Want to talk about it?” Yang hummed, approaching the topic with caution, and Blake’s hands froze on her face.

Blake swallowed the lump in her throat, but eventually nodded towards her, taking a slow breath as she thought back to the nightmare.

Yang shuffled them both back onto the bed, the both of them laying on their sides to face each other. Yang pulled Blake into her chest again, tangling their legs together on the small bed, beginning to rub small, soothing circles up and down her back.

Blake relaxed in her hold, the tension leaking from her body in an instant, and once she felt ready enough, she started to recount the nightmare.

“It felt so real…” She said, taking a shaky breath. “We were… Fighting Grimm in the tundra, and Cinder showed up. She distracted the others, and you and I went off to find Oscar, Ren and Nora.” Blake mumbled, curling herself even further into Yang’s hold when her partner squeezed her gently. “That thing… The Hound. It was going for the relic again - for Oscar, and we tried to take it down, but it was too strong for us. It knocked down Nora and Ren, and we were disoriented.”

Yang patiently waited when she had to pause to collect herself, the next bit pricking her heart with an excruciating type of pain.

“You… Told me to take Oscar, and when The Hound grabbed the relic, I told you we should go - that we could get Nora and Ren. But you wouldn’t go…” Blake trailed off, firmly shutting her eyes and clinging to Yang’s warmth, burying her face into her chest and taking a few more shaky breaths before continuing. “You… Kissed me, and told me you loved me, and when The Hound flew into the air, you followed it.”

Yang must have understood where the nightmare was leading, because she let out a slow breath, rustling Blake’s hair and making her ears flick against her jaw.

“Oh, baby…” Yang breathed out, continuing her soft motions on Blake’s back. Blake’s breath hitched at the term of endearment, something that Yang had asked about - if it was okay to call her that so soon after confessing, neither of them entirely used to affection like that.

Blake wholeheartedly expressed her enthusiasm about the word, and she flushed a little at Yang utilising it. But, it was welcomed, making her heart flutter and made her feel even more at ease.

“It took you into the air, and you managed to get it to drop the relic - I caught it, and I tried so hard to get to you, but I didn’t have- I had _nothing_. I was alone, I didn’t have Gambol Shroud, and I just-” Blake’s voice turned strained and watery, and she clutched Yang’s orange tank top she had worn to bed. “I _watched_ it… Stab you with its claws, throw you to the ground. And you were…”

She couldn't finish, but Yang didn’t ask her to. Instead, Yang immediately shushed her and encouraged her to raise her head to look into her eyes. Eyes that were very much alive, and very much looking at her with sadness, but more importantly, love and understanding.

“But I’m here.” Yang whispered to her, pressing their foreheads together, her lilac eyes shining from the moonlight that streamed through the small window in the room. Blake’s ears pressed against her head as Yang cupped her cheek with her right hand.

“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” Yang continued softly, leaning back a little to press her lips to Blake’s forehead, lingering there for a few seconds before pulling away again. “I’m sorry you went through that. But, we’re here, and we’re together. And I love you.”

The air rushed from Blake’s lungs at those three simple words, and although she already heard them from Yang when they reunited just hours ago, she could already tell that she would never get tired of hearing her say it.

“I love you too.” Blake breathed back, and Yang smiled at her, one that she returned gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Yang hummed gently, leaning in to leave a chaste kiss on Blake’s lips, running her fingers through her hair again, causing a shiver to pass down Blake’s spine. Yang smiled again and shifted herself so she was on top of her, Blake’s back pressed down into the mattress. Yang pulled away from Blake’s lips to look down at her, her golden mane falling like curtains around them, keeping them safe from that nightmare, and the equally as horrible nightmare outside of these walls.

Blake took a breath and reached up to frame Yang’s face with her hands, and Yang’s eyes twinkled, the girl nuzzling her face into Blake’s touch. 

“Ready to go back to sleep? Tomorrow’s gonna be a pain in the ass.” Yang grumbled into the skin of her hand, and Blake huffed out a laugh, Yang smiling into her palm at the sound.

“Not… Just yet, if that’s okay.” Blake said, voice small and vulnerable, but Yang just nodded and grinned down at her, a sudden shift in her lilac eyes - a mischievous look in them now.

“Soooo, what do ya wanna do?” Yang said, wiggling her eyebrows at her and Blake’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red, a groan escaping her lips as she pushed against Yang’s face, squishing her cheek and making her laugh.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Xiao Long.” Blake replied, smirking a little when Yang met her eyes again. Yang smirked back at her and chewed on her bottom lip, gently taking Blake’s wrists and pressing them on either sides of her head, settling herself fully on top of her. She waited for a moment, looking to see if Blake would protest or if she was uncomfortable, but Blake just laid there with encouragement in her eyes, surprising herself with how passive she was being.

Then again, she’d always been weak for Yang.

Yang just grinned and leaned down, gently pressing her lips to Blake’s neck. Blake hummed and tipped her head up, butterflies swirling in her stomach as Yang trailed her lips along her neck, placing small, chaste kisses on her skin, leaving a fire trail in her wake.

When Yang reached her jawline, she paused.

“I promise you.” She began, etching the words into her skin with each touch of her lips as she formed them. “I’ll always be here to chase your nightmares away.”

Blake took a shuddering breath, a thread of emotion coiling in her gut at those words. 

Her nightmare replayed in her mind briefly at that moment, but she pushed it away.

Yang promised, and Blake would believe her. She would believe in them, and believe in what they were all fighting for. She wouldn’t let her dream become reality, and she wouldn’t sit and wait in fear.

Yang was with her, and so were the others. And she would fight alongside them all, and she would trust in the love she and Yang shared.

And she would fight for her happiness - no matter what was thrown at them.


	54. Seeing Green (Whiterose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: jealous ruby
> 
> premise: during volume 7, a random point where they're training before ironwood turns on them

It was a simple day in the training room at Atlas Academy.

Ruby was across the room, practising her semblance with Ren and Oscar, and doing quite well in her opinion, and she felt a surge or pride through her when Oscar looked at her in bewilderment after she split herself into three around the pillar.

“Whoa. When did you learn _that_?” Oscar asked in awe, watching from his spot near the wall, and Ruby flushed a little, shrugging and letting out an awkward laugh.

“Just now?” Ruby replied.

“That’s amazing.” Oscar said, and even Ren had stood up and was giving her an impressed look at what she’d done. Ruby just scratched the back of her head, cheeks heating up at all the praise.

“Nah, it’s nothin’.” Ruby brushed it off, clearing her throat and unsheathing Crescent Rose from her back, glancing between the two boys in front of her. “You guys up for sparring?”

Oscar’s face fell and he sighed, shaking his head.

“Sorry, I should actually go see Ironwood right about now. He… Had something he wanted to talk to me about.” Oscar muttered, and Ruby frowned at the uncertainty in Oscar’s tone and expression.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay.” Ruby offered, and Oscar gave her a tiny smile, the boy nodding to her and Ren as he began to leave, walking over to the other side of the room towards the exit.

When she looked back to Ren, he also looked apologetic.

“I think… I’m going to continue meditating over here. Sorry, Ruby.” Ren said, placing a hand on her shoulder before turning away from her to sit back down where he was previously, leaning himself back against the pillar and closing his eyes.

Ruby frowned and turned away from him to look back at the rest of the room, taking note of everyone practicing and sparring.

Blake and Yang, as usual, messing around on the tops of the pillars. They were laughing together as Blake continued to make copies of herself while Yang attempted to catch her, their eyes bright and their laughter melting together. Ruby smiled a bit as she observed them, happy that they were in a better place now.

She saw Nora and Jaune sparring with Neon and Flynt as well, trading blows back and forth and Nora currently chasing the other girl around while her skates propelled her to a faster speed to get away.

Ruby giggled as Nora bumped Neon into the wall with her hammer, but she bounced back up just as quickly as she continued to skate around, both of them having fun with each other.

Ruby scanned her eyes some more, and suddenly stopped on her partner across the room, her rapier pointed to the ceiling as she summoned some glyphs around herself. She was alone, Ruby noticed, and she lit up at the thought of sparring with Weiss again.

Their fighting styles were completely different, but worked just as well together and whenever they fought together in battle, or sparred and practiced together, Ruby always found that Weiss understood her the most in battle, supporting her and always having her back no matter what.

She loved that about her, among many other things.

It was that thought that made Ruby start to walk over there, the question on the tip of her tongue, when out of seemingly nowhere, the Ace-Ops had made their way inside the training room, and Ruby froze mid-step when Marrow walked up to Weiss, breaking her concentration on her glyphs to talk with her.

Ruby blinked, watching them from afar, noticing the awkward nature of her partner and the light blush on her cheeks. Her eyebrows furrowed as Marrow rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward and stiff as well, but he still smiled at Weiss, which she returned.

Since when were they so friendly?

Ruby felt a twitch to her brow when Marrow motioned to Weiss’ rapier, saying something about it, and Weiss raised it up, showing him the blade without much hesitation. Ruby’s stomach churned and coiled with an unfamiliar feeling all of a sudden when Marrow stepped closer to her, and her hands clenched around Crescent Rose when his hand touched Weiss’.

“Sheesh, I can _feel_ that heat from over here, Rubes.” Yang suddenly had dropped down next to her from the top of a pillar, startling her and making her jump, and Blake followed suit, landing on her other side and giving her a small smile when she looked at her.

Ruby sputtered and whirled on her sister, annoyed at the smirk on her lips.

“You sure it’s not just your own? Your semblance includes your _hair_ going on fire you know.” Ruby grumbled back, and Yang snickered at her, throwing her arm around her shoulder and sighing lightly. She shared a look with Blake over top of Ruby’s head, a silent conversation happening with their eyes - something that Ruby didn’t appreciate in her presence - and then Yang let out another sigh and looked down at Ruby, giving her a soft smile.

“Are you, perhaps, a little… Jealous, baby sister of mine?” Yang said, smile turning cheeky and devious.

Ruby’s cheeks warmed up and she shoved Yang away from her, ignoring her cackles and groaning a little, glancing back over to where Marrow and Weiss were still conversing, Myrtenaster still raised up between them.

“Of course not. They’re just talking - and, Weiss and I aren’t…” Ruby said, trailing off at the end, a slight pang in her heart when she saw Weiss lightly giggle at something Marrow said to her.

“Right… Totally.” Yang sounded unconvinced, but Ruby decided to ignore it, shaking her head.

“I don’t remember them ever being that close before.” Blake stepped into the conversation with that light observation, her voice contemplative, and Ruby was inclined to agree with that. 

Sure, they’ve all been getting along with the Ace-Ops these past few days, sparring with them and taking on missions with them every so often, learning the ropes of being full blown Huntresses’. It’s been an amazing experience, one that Ruby was not taking for granted and was thoroughly enjoying. However, she didn’t consider any of them… _Super_ close to the Ace-Ops yet, and she chalked up this feeling inside of her as one of confusion and worry over why Marrow was being overly friendly all of a sudden.

“Beats me.” Yang said, shrugging and placing her hands on her hips. “They look like they’re _very_ well acquainted though.” Yang mused, and Ruby elbowed her in her ribs, Yang grunting a little at the pain and flicking Ruby’s ear.

“Hey!” Ruby protested, but Yang just laughed at her.

“Listen, Rubes. I was just teasing before, but…” Yang suddenly turned serious, looking down at her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I think you’ve got more going on in that head of yours that you should probably unpack. I mean, if you’re feeling a little off seeing those two hitting it off, well…” Yang trailed off, half-shrugging and ruffling Ruby’s hair, messing it up even more than it was.

Ruby huffed and pushed her hand away, levelling her with a knowing look.

“You’re telling _me_ to unpack my feelings?” Ruby shot back, and Yang’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red, her eyes widening for a brief second. Ruby lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Blake on her other side, whose ears had lowered a bit and her cheeks had shifted in colour as well. Ruby rolled her eyes at them both before letting out another sigh and returning her eyes to her partner, Marrow making her laugh again.

Ruby couldn’t deny that Yang… May have a point with that. She really _did_ feel off seeing Weiss getting along with him, and she truly wasn’t sure why. Weiss has gotten along with others plenty of times before - she gets along with Team FNKI just fine, and the other Ace-Ops as well. There was back in Beacon when she was kind of into Neptune, and sure, maybe Ruby wasn’t thrilled about her talking about going to the dance with him, but she was overall happy for her.

Ruby suddenly honed in on that memory of Weiss and Neptune, how Weiss was smitten with him for a while, and although she believed that was long gone now, it left a bad taste in her mouth to even imagine Weiss in his arms, making her laugh, when Ruby could do all those things just fine.

Ruby blinked at her own thoughts, and she whipped her head up with wide eyes, Blake and Yang glancing at each other, then looking back at Ruby with questions in their eyes.

“Oh.” Ruby said, suddenly feeling like the biggest fool in existence. It all made sense now, when she thought about it much deeper - why it bothered her so much back at Beacon when Jaune confessed his little crush on Weiss, when Neptune sat with Weiss at the dance, and _now_ , when Marrow got a little too close to her while talking with her, and made Weiss laugh and smile.

She could name that feeling in her stomach now.

And that feeling was suddenly tenfold when Marrow touched Weiss’ shoulder, giving her a soft smile. Ruby clenched her fist at her side, but was quick to try and dispel her anger at the situation.

She and Weiss weren’t… Anything, and she only _just_ fully realised what she was feeling a few seconds ago, albeit still somewhat confused about when and how those feelings developed. Maybe they’ve always been there, in the depths of her heart, waiting to crawl out, and the moment she’s able to fully focus on them, it’s at a difficult and hectic time for them all.

And, she realised, she truly had no right to infringe on her partner’s happiness, if she truly was getting along with Marrow. Weiss deserved to be happy, and although the thought of it _not_ being her hurt her heart and increased that jealousy even more, it wouldn’t be right of her to saunter over there and demand that Marrow leave her partner alone.

So, instead, she deflated and leaned up against Yang’s side, and her sister blinked down at her in confusion, wrapping her arm around her to pull her in a bit closer.

“You okay, Rubes?” Yang asked, and Blake was looking over at her with concerned eyes as well, but Ruby just sighed and nodded, quickly picking herself back up and pulling away from Yang, gripping onto Crescent Rose a little tighter.

“I’m alright. I just… I think I’m gonna go sit down for a bit.” Ruby mumbled, and without another glance at them or Weiss, she walked over to the furthest wall from Weiss and Marrow and sheathed Crescent Rose on her back, sliding down to the floor and sitting there, lost in thought about the revelation she’s just had.

It took her far too long to actually come to terms with that, and although it made sense given that Ruby never really paid much attention to feelings, it also made all the more sense that she couldn’t imagine her life without Weiss. She couldn’t imagine either of them having their bond with anybody else, and she couldn’t imagine _not_ being by Weiss’ side.

She sighed and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head at her own thoughts. It was really an awful time to be having a crisis like this, when Salem could be on their doorstep at any moment and they had training to do, but Ruby’s life never really went how she wanted nowadays, did it?

“Ruby?”

Ruby froze at the familiar voice, the person standing just in front of her, and she gulped down the lump that formed in her throat. She took a breath and removed her hands from her face to look up, silver eyes meeting the worried blue ones of Weiss Schnee.

“Hey, Weiss.” Ruby croaked.

The worry only increased tenfold in her partner’s eyes at that response.

“What’s wrong? Are you… Doing okay?” Weiss asked.

It was careful, her partner approaching with caution as if Ruby was on the verge of breaking apart. Ruby swallowed again and looked down, resting her arms on her raised knees, shrugging her shoulders weakly.

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” Ruby said.

It didn’t sound very convincing to her own ears, so she wasn’t surprised when Weiss huffed and walked up to the wall beside her, sliding herself down right next to her, so close that her body heat radiated off of her and melted over Ruby, their thighs only a slight breath apart.

“Listen, I know… Things have been hectic here, and we haven’t had a lot of time like we used to. But… I’m always here for you. You can always talk to me.” Weiss said. Ruby glanced over to her, her eyes already on her, and Ruby’s stomach fluttered nervously when Weiss threw a gentle smile her way, one that was so often hidden from other people. “You know that, right?”

Ruby _did_ know that - she knew Weiss was always _there_. She never had to look very far, because her partner would always be there, not far from her, always lifting her up and believing in her. She was always there with a comforting hand on her shoulder and that small, soft smile that Ruby had noticed was usually only reserved for her. 

She knew all of this, and yet, she couldn’t help but think that one day, someone else would have all of Weiss Schnee, and she would have far less than she’d like.

But Ruby tried her best to push those thoughts away, send them far down into the depths of her mind in order to flash a strained smile, nodding a little towards her partner.

“Of course.” Ruby replied, maintaining the smile on her face as best as she could. 

Weiss fell silent as they looked at each other, searching each other’s gazes for a solid minute before she hummed and looked away, sweeping her eyes across the training room.

Ruby followed her gaze, and noticed Marrow towards the exit of the room, talking with Harriet about something serious, if Harriet’s expression was anything to go by. She saw Weiss’ eyes linger over there for a second, and Ruby’s heart constricted painfully even as Weiss pulled her eyes away.

She felt like she had to say something - anything to break the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled around them, mostly due to her own awkward feelings towards her best friend who was clearly interested in another person.

“So,” Ruby cleared her throat, garnering Weiss’ attention. “Sorry if coming over here interrupted your glyph practice.” Ruby said, tacking on a lighthearted laugh at the end, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes fully.

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows.

“Why are you apologising? Don’t be silly.” Weiss huffed, rolling her eyes with fondness and knocking their shoulders together, a light smile on her face. “I may be enjoying all this rigorous training, but it would never come between time with you, no matter how little.”

Ruby’s heart quickened, but she desperately tried not to get sidetracked - an image of her and Marrow cosying up to each other flashing in her mind, reminding her of what brought her over to this wall to begin with.

“Right.” Ruby sighed, flashing a brief smile at her. “It looked like Marrow was… Giving you lots of advice, though.” She continued, hoping that her voice was level enough that Weiss didn’t notice how much this was truly affecting her.

Now Weiss’ cheeks tinged a bit pink, but she let out a huff, rolling her eyes again - this time with a bit of annoyance, much to Ruby’s surprise.

“Sure, if by advice you mean tell me things I already knew while he was a stuttering mess, then you’d be absolutely correct.” Weiss said, letting out a sigh. “It was just… Very awkward, and while I appreciated his attempts, I told him I was fine.”

Ruby was now thoroughly confused - it looked like they were getting along super well, cosying up to each other and _laughing_ together, looking almost smitten and flirty. 

“I mean… You were pretty flustered though.” Ruby said, hoping her voice didn’t waver too much at that moment as she knocked her shoulder against Weiss’ again, attempting to jest with her.

Weiss blinked and narrowed her eyes at Ruby, firmly knocking her shoulder back.

“Absolutely _not_. That’s just… Downright ridiculous, even for _you_.” Weiss said, and it almost sounded convincing to Ruby, but her insecurity around the whole situation made her believe Weiss was simply projecting, denying the possible truth that hurt Ruby more than anything.

However, she just wanted Weiss to be happy, in the end.

“You were all… _blushy_ and stuff, though.” Ruby said, poking her in the shoulder, and Weiss’ cheeks flared up once again. However, she only seemed to become more irritated rather than embarrassed, and she just shook her head at Ruby, narrowing her eyes at her.

“It’s because it was _weird_ , Ruby.” Weiss replied swiftly. “He’s… Nice, and seemed genuinely helpful, but it just felt awkward alone with him because I barely know him outside of the Ace-Ops. I just tried to laugh through it, to be honest.” Weiss sighed at the end, leaning herself back against the wall and turning her gaze back onto the others as they practised around the room. 

Ruby blinked, heart thundering in her chest at what Weiss just said to her. It was taking her a bit longer than usual to catch up, and when her silence persisted longer than normal, Weiss glanced over to her, tilting her head questioningly.

“Would… There have been a problem if I _was_ okay with his attention?” Weiss said, curious eyes aimed on her.

Ruby felt her face heat up and she shook her head immediately, trying her best to pick up the pieces of this conversation that she never expected would go this direction.

“No, ‘course not. You can… You know, um, talk to whoever you want.” Ruby said, clearing her throat and shifting herself on the floor. She looked away from Weiss’ piercing blue eyes to gather herself for a moment, before saying, “As long as you’re happy, Weiss.”

She truly meant it - even if she was masking how uncomfortable she was at the thought of Weiss with someone else, she knew in her heart that it was completely up to her partner in the end. She was genuine here, despite the rest of the conversation being her masking her emotions about the entire thing.

Weiss hummed next to her, then startled her when her hand reached out to lay over top of Ruby’s on her knee, squeezing gently. Ruby shot her eyes up to meet hers, Weiss’ soft smile overtaking her face again, her fingers curling around Ruby’s.

“I’m pretty happy right now.” Weiss said, a light pink tone to her cheeks as her smile turned a bit shy, and Ruby truly had no idea how she didn’t pass out right then and there, considering she had sucked in such a harsh breath and was now _not exhaling._

Weiss was waiting on her to answer though, so she puffed out a breath and slowly nodded.

“Good.” Ruby replied, hoping that her hand wasn’t gross and clammy, and hoping that Weiss couldn’t hear the pounding of her heartbeat from where she was.

Weiss seemed to search her eyes for a moment, and whatever she found seemed to make her smile again, as if stumbling upon a secret in Ruby’s silver orbs that she was trying to keep hidden. It was as if she uncovered something she wasn’t exactly meant to, and Ruby saw a bright look in her eye when she suddenly leaned against her, laying her head on her shoulder and snuggling up to her.

Ruby almost choked on air as Weiss settled in, letting out a gentle sigh.

“By the way,” Weiss said, her fingers curling a bit tighter around Ruby’s. “Marrow is _so_ not my type.”

Ruby swallowed down the gasp that threatened to escape when Weiss leaned further into her side, her breath ghosting the side of her neck and leaving goosebumps behind on her skin. Ruby glanced up at the ceiling, threw out a silent prayer to any of the Gods out there, and took a small breath.

“What _is_ your type, then?” Ruby said.

She tried to sound unassuming and innocent - just a curious friend asking another friend who she would be into, if she had feelings for someone. And whether or not she was successful in that was unclear, as Weiss just hummed and kept her face turned away from her, giving no indication whatsoever.

Finally, Weiss spoke again.

“Someone that knows me, and all the cracks and frail parts of my armour that I hide behind. And someone that knows that they wouldn’t need to be jealous about someone simply speaking to me, because at the end of the day, I would be sitting next to them rather than with anyone else.”

Ruby seized up immediately, panic rising inside of her at those words. There was _no_ way it wasn’t about her, and for a moment it startled her just how easily Weiss could read her sometimes, could understand what was in her mind even before _she_ could at times. It was a bit scary, but Weiss didn’t pull away from her at all, so Ruby deemed that a good thing as Weiss continued on.

“Someone that would be patient with me, while we figure everything out.” Weiss mumbled, and it was then that Ruby realised she was assuredly speaking about her, and it was then that Ruby also realised that Weiss was possibly in the same boat as her.

It was something out of their comfort zone, something completely new and alien to them both, but they felt it for each other. They felt that bond with each other, and although Ruby had spent most of this training session wallowing in her own thoughts with her heart full of green, it all vanished the minute Weiss said those words.

It was silly to be jealous, Ruby realised. Because Weiss was there with her.

And although it may take them a bit to understand these feelings between them, Ruby was okay to wait however long to figure it out with her best friend.

And perhaps, once they’ve navigated that, it would be even more than just a friendship.

But for now, Ruby would wait.

Weiss was definitely worth it.


	55. i know a place we can run (where everyone gonna lay down their weapon) (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "HSAU for the bees where raven sticks around or comes back but still isn’t a good mother and Yang spends most of her time sneaking into Blake’s house"
> 
> premise: i mean exactly what the prompt says my friends!
> 
> title from the song "i know a place" by muna <3

It was her senior year of high school when her mother came barrelling back into her life like the hurricane she was.

Yang was walking home from school like it was any other day - the leaves changing colour on the trees and falling to the ground, her boots flattening them and making a satisfying “crunch” sound each time. A pair of red and orange leaves fluttered down and almost hit her in the face as she walked, but all she could do was smile when they hit the ground.

Her day had been great, to say the least. She aced the pop quiz, her shop teacher told her that her piece was outstanding, football practice went well - despite Cardin clearly singling her out every play and rushing her to the ground, however she got him back just as hard whenever she could.

Her body was sore, and was in dire need of a shower at home, but even that couldn’t deter her good mood when her mind settled on the biggest highlight of her day. The most important part to her day, practically every practice, was her best friend watching her from the stands despite knowing nothing about the sport.

Blake Belladonna was smart - she was one of the most intelligent people Yang knew of, with her test scores evident of that, but those smarts weren’t exactly being placed into knowledge of every high school sport known to man. But she still took time after school to watch her play with a fond smile on her face and a standing ovation every time she _assumed_ something good happened for Yang’s side.

Yang didn’t realise her smile was so wide until she hopped up the steps to her house, humming a cheery tune as she opened the door and walked inside, sliding her backpack and sports bag down to the floor as she took her boots off.

“Dad? You home?” She called, but there was no answer right away like usual. She frowned and placed her boots towards the wall, leaving her bags by the door to go in pursuit of where her father could be.

It wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility that he got caught up at work - it’s happened plenty of times before, and she wasn’t concerned about where her little sister might be, considering she got a text barely thirty minutes ago telling her she would be going to the movies with one Weiss Schnee.

How Ruby roped the richest and most refined girl in the town into being her best friend was completely beyond Yang, to be honest, but she didn’t question it too much.

“Dad?” Yang called again, and this time, she heard a small noise down the hallway slightly, towards where their living room was situated. Yang raised an eyebrow and sauntered her way down the hallway, fully expecting to see her father passed out on the couch in front of the TV, snoring just like she’d found him many other times.

But, rather than _just_ her father in the living room when she turned the corner, the sight she was met with caused all the air to rush out from her lungs, and she had to hold a hand out to the wall to support herself as she took it in.

“Yang.” Tai said to her, lifting himself off the couch to hold his hands out as if to steady her, but she just blinked at him, breaths becoming uneven as her thoughts whirled around in her head.

“You’ve grown.” The woman in the armchair said to her, and she clenched her fingers around the material of her bomber jacket to refrain from completely lashing out at the woman, for the sake of her own sanity and her father, who was near her now, holding a hand out to place it on her shoulder in comfort.

“Yang, it’s okay.” Tai said gently, maintaining his hold on her shoulder as her mind attempted to process everything. “You should sit down.”

“Sit down?” Yang repeated incredulously, finally coming back to herself and shaking his hand off her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at the woman in the chair and then Tai himself, the familiar build up of tears clogging up her throat as she said, “With _her_? What is she even _doing_ here?”

“ _She_ is sitting right here.” The woman said, and Yang whipped her head over to her, noticing the tiny smirk curling her upper lip. “And _her_ name is Raven. Have you already forgotten that?”

Yang looked at her, bewildered, as if she were growing three whole extra arms on her body. 

Forgotten? How could she _forget_ being abandoned that young? How could she _forget_ being left behind with just her father, who she had to take care of as well as her little sister after losing Summer too? How could she forget the late nights babysitting Ruby, the mornings where she found her father passed out on the couch with bottles all around him?

How could she ever forget the pain of not fully knowing who her mother was all this time and having to be the one to pick up the pieces after she destroyed this family?

Yang would never forget all of that, and she certainly wouldn’t forget it now as her mother, the one that didn’t want her, the one that threw her life into turmoil the moment she left, sat there looking way more smug than she deserved to be.

Yang swallowed thickly and looked to Tai, who was looking back at her with desperate eyes, almost pleading with her not to cause a huge scene. She huffed a breath and shook her head, glancing at Raven again.

“No, I haven’t.” Yang said through clenched teeth, and Raven hummed back at her, that same look not going away.

“How about we just… Take a seat, and talk through this?” Tai was saying, placing a hand on Yang’s back to encourage her to walk further into the room, but the thought made her stomach churn and her blood to run cold, so she just pushed him off again and narrowed her eyes at them both.

“You two talk, I’m just… I need some air.” Yang sighed sharply and turned on her heel, ignoring the call from her father as she raced outside, slamming the door behind her, putting that barrier between her and them for the time being so she could gather herself.

She huffed a few breaths outside, clenching her fists at her side. She placed those fists on each side of her head, closing her eyes and taking a moment to breathe, finally not feeling suffocated enough to do so. 

Her mother was _back_? She was there, in that house, where everything had gone wrong so many years ago. She was there, looking at Yang as if nothing had changed, as if nothing was different from when she was an infant.

She shook her head again and sucked back the sobs that threatened to fall out of her mouth. She raised her head and glanced back to the house, but she wouldn’t be going back in there for as long as she could help it.

The sun was setting now, and it would be evening by the time she made it on the other side of town. Much too late for a visitor, and much too late to be in someone’s bedroom on a school night.

But her thumb was already pressing Blake’s name in her phone, and she was already walking down the sidewalk towards her house before she could think twice about it.

The window was slightly ajar when she got there, just as it always would be whenever they had to do this. A smile wormed its way onto her face despite everything that occurred earlier that night, and she began her ascent up the tree placed just outside of Blake’s window, trying to keep her grunts of exertion as quiet as possible as to not alert her family inside.

“Psst, Blakey.” Yang whispered when she made it to the top of the tree, crouched on the top most branch. The lights were off in her bedroom, which was odd considering Blake answered the text she had sent her not long ago. Yang furrowed her brow and leaned a bit closer to the window to peek inside, when suddenly, the light flicked on and Blake was there at the window.

“ _Fuck_!” Yang hissed, almost falling off the branch as a scream lodged itself in her throat, but she battled it back for fear of Blake’s family hearing her. Blake covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles, her other hand raising her window a bit more.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist.” Blake whispered to her, and Yang huffed, playfully glaring at her.

“I could’ve fallen and _died_.” Yang replied.

Blake raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, stepping aside just enough for Yang’s path inside her room to be revealed.

“Please, it’s not that far of a drop, drama queen.” Blake said, and Yang grunted a little as she pushed herself through the window, letting out a breath when her feet made contact with Blake’s bedroom floor.

Her eyes strayed around the room as Blake closed her window and curtains, blocking out the moonlight from outside in favour of the fairy lights strung up around Blake’s room, illuminating the space in an almost warm, golden hue. Yang’s chest filled with that familiar calm and safe feeling as she stood in that room - books lined practically every shelf, pictures of her and Blake flooding the walls, with some here and there of Blake and some of her other friends - Ilia, Pyrrha, even one of her and Ruby that Yang didn’t know existed until now.

This room was a safe space for the both of them, and Yang _really_ needed that right now.

Yang puffed out a breath and plopped herself down onto Blake’s bed, laying on her back to look up at the ceiling as Blake settled in beside her, the usual routine beginning as Yang placed her head in her lap and Blake settled a hand in her hair, carding her fingers through it gently.

A content hum passed through Yang’s lips, her eyes closing.

“Talk when you’re ready.” Blake muttered, continuing her movements in her hair.

Yang relaxed in her lap, nodding slightly.

Yang wasn’t sure how she got so lucky finding a friend in Blake, but she would always be infinitely grateful for it. Blake was patient, and kind and understanding, and although it took her much longer to open up to Yang in the beginning when she first moved to Beacon High, Yang gave her ample time to eventually come to trust her.

Blake had just as much of a messy past as her, they both realised, and as time went on, they became closer than ever, using Blake’s room as a hub where they would talk about whatever they couldn’t say to anyone else. 

They were each other’s support, each other’s rocks as they navigated the world, and Yang wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yang sighed and finally opened her eyes, shifting herself so she was looking up at Blake from her place on her lap. Her eyes caught the way the fairy lights bounced off of Blake’s amber eyes, making them shine and glow more than they usually did, and the way the furry ears atop her head swivelled and flicked as Yang moved. 

Blake’s eyes were trained solely on her, and Yang’s stomach flipped upside down at the unmistakably soft look she was giving her, completely and wholly ready to hear what was bothering her.

Yeesh, Yang needed to talk before she melted under that gaze.

“My mom came back.” Yang mumbled into the soft atmosphere around them, and she was surprised to find that it didn’t break it as much as she expected. Instead, Blake’s eyebrows simply knitted together and her hand halted in Yang’s hair for a second, before she recovered and began moving her fingers again.

“Raven?” Blake replied, the shock evident in her tone, and Yang let out a deep breath, nodding up at her and swallowing down the lump in her throat as best as she could.

“It’s been… What, 17 years since she last saw me, and she’s back?” Yang said with a bitter laugh at the end, shaking her head to try and rid herself of the pain in her chest and tears building up inside of her.

“What happened?” Blake asked, cautious and careful, letting Yang know that if she wasn’t comfortable answering, then she didn’t have to.

Yang scoffed and clenched her fist around Blake’s blankets, anger flaring up inside of her.

“She just… _Sat_ there, looking smug, saying something stupid about me forgetting about her after all this time, or something.” Yang hissed through her teeth, but Blake’s fingers in her hair reminded her that she was safe - she was with Blake, who understood her more than anyone else, and that thought calmed her enough to continue. 

“I didn’t… Say much to her before I left the house. I just… I couldn’t be there right now.” Yang said softly, and Blake hummed gently, shifting her fingers slightly to begin brushing Yang’s bangs back from her forehead, a move that had Yang melting under her touch and humming in appreciation.

“I’m sorry.” Blake said in a gentle tone. “I have… No idea how that must feel, and I know it’s going to be hard if she sticks around, but… You always have a place here, you know.” Blake said, smiling down at her and making Yang’s breath hitch at the fondness emulating from her expression. “I’m always here if you need me, Yang. And this can always be a place you can escape to.”

Yang watched Blake’s ears lower a bit on her head, and she hoped Blake couldn’t hear the pounding of her heart in that moment, where it was like thunder in Yang’s ears the longer Blake gazed down at her like _that_.

“Yeah.” Yang breathed out, suddenly very overwhelmed with too many emotions and she cleared her throat, allowing a warm smile to erupt on her face up at her best friend. “I’m always here for you too.”

Blake beamed at that, and she began manoeuvring herself further up her bed, initiating the next part of this usual routine for them - cuddles on Blake’s bed.

Yang let out a small laugh when Blake flopped onto her back, and it didn’t take long for Yang to shed her bomber jacket and settle herself down into Blake’s arms, resting her head on her chest and finding comfort in the steady heartbeat she heard there.

Yang knew she would have to leave soon - if Blake’s father caught them like _this_ , Yang would be thrown out the window without a second thought. 

But she cherished this moment until she had to leave through that window again, back to her house where the person who had hurt her the most resided now.

And just as Blake had said - Raven _did_ stick around. But it wasn’t anything that Yang expected.

“Your dad said I could stay here for the time being.” Raven said to her the next morning at the breakfast table, sans her father who had to get to work early in the morning. It seemed that he explained things to Ruby the night before whenever she got home, but it didn’t help the awkward, almost uncomfortable energy at the table between both sisters and the woman across from them.

“Any reason?” Yang quipped, playing with the eggs and bacon on her plate, not even bothering to fight Ruby when she stole a piece of her bacon. 

Raven pursed her lips and took a bite of her food, looking between the sisters briefly before settling her eyes on Yang.

“Just want to get to know Tai’s two girls.” Raven said.

It stung far worse than Yang expected, her hand frozen around her fork where she had been attempting to gather up more eggs.

Just Tai’s girls. 

Even now, as she sits at their table, she didn’t truly think of Yang as her own.

Yang clenched her jaw and pushed herself away from the table, and Ruby blinked up at her, watching her sister as she gathered up her school bag and sports bag.

“Let’s get to school Ruby.” Yang said, and she didn’t look back to Raven as she walked out of the dining room, vaguely hearing Ruby’s hurried steps after her.

It didn’t get much better after that - but whenever they were around Tai, Raven would act as if everything was fine and dandy between everyone. And whenever Yang tried to mention just how horrible she was being behind the scenes - giving Yang smug looks, not even offering to ride them to school sometimes, making bare minimum breakfasts whenever Tai couldn’t make them something, and worst of all - sneaking out at night when she thought no one was awake, coming back smelling worse than she did when she left, Yang was always given the “give her a chance” talk and that was that.

Yang was surprised each time she decided to return each night, but even so, she wasn’t exactly being the mother figure that Yang had wanted from her since the moment she could walk.

Between the snide remarks from her about sticking around longer each day, with that same self-satisfied smirk on her face, acting as though she suddenly owned the place, Yang had found herself escaping to Blake’s house more often than normal, barely spending time at her own house where that _stranger_ sat on their couch, ate their food, took up the time on the TV.

“What did she do this time?” Blake asked her a week later from when Raven showed up.

It was Yang’s fourth trip to Blake’s room since all of this began, and it was the fourth time Raven had done something to leave a bad taste in Yang’s mouth and a gaping hole in her heart where she desperately wished her _mother_ would fill.

But she wasn’t her mother anymore.

Yang’s head was in Blake’s lap again, her hand resting in her hair as she looked down at her with a comforting gaze. Yang sighed and glanced away from her eyes to look across the room, eyes following the spines of the books on Blake’s shelves.

“She brought a ‘friend’ over.” Yang said, practically spitting out the word ‘friend’, a bitter scoff falling from her mouth. “Don’t remember his name, and thankfully Ruby was out with Weiss, but I had to deal with those two living it up in our living room while Dad was out late at work.”

She saw Blake’s frown in the corner of her eye.

“It just… Ugh, I don’t know. Even with her _there_ , she still feels miles away. As if she’s planning to skip out the next moment she gets with that ‘friend’ of hers.” Yang said.

Blake shifted her hand slightly, and Yang almost jumped when her hand cupped Yang’s cheek, her thumb caressing her cheekbone. It caused Yang to look back up to her, and the fairy lights above them bathed Blake in a holy light, and Yang truly believed she was looking at an angel in that moment.

“I’m sorry.” Blake replied, continuing her gentle touch on her cheek. “Did she… Say something that gave you that idea?”

Yang took a shaky breath - telling herself it was because of the topic and not Blake’s soft touch on her face - and half-shrugged.

“Her and her ‘friend’ talked about the ‘good old days’, or whatever bullshit she was spewing.” Yang clenched her jaw. “Being on the road, with no responsibilities, doing whatever the hell they wanted. Seemed clear to me that she missed that more than me.”

“Oh, honey…” Blake breathed. She delicately raised her other hand to Yang’s other cheek, and Yang’s breath hitched as she leaned down to press their foreheads together, looking deep into her eyes. Blake’s ears flattened against her head as she said, “I’m so sorry. I wish I could do more, but… All I can do is tell you that I’m here. My window is always open for you, whenever you need it.”

Yang let out a breath, swallowing the lump in her throat as she nodded, unsure of how to respond considering she was internally freaking out at their close proximity. 

Blake looked beautiful all the time in Yang’s eyes, but right there, pressed against her with the lights bouncing off her soft eyes, she looked stunning - like the brightest star in the night sky.

Blake leaned back a little and sent Yang reeling even more with a press of her lips to her forehead, so soft that Yang barely felt it, but she still cherished it regardless.

“If you ask me,” Blake started, fully leaning back to her original position to look down at Yang with a small smile, ears flicking on her head. “She’s missing out.”

Yang felt her lip curl up in the hint of a smile.

“Yeah?” Yang replied, and Blake hummed gently.

“There’s only one Yang Xiao Long, and I pity a person who doesn’t want to get to know her.” Blake murmured, her smile widening as she gazed down at her in her lap. “Because they’d be missing out on a strong, funny, caring, kindhearted person, who fights for her friends and gives everyone so much love with that big heart of hers.”

Yang fought the well of tears that built up inside of her at Blake’s words, letting out a watery laugh as Blake booped her on the nose, Yang scrunching it up cutely.

“Oh, and absolutely _hot_ , obviously.” Blake smirked then, and Yang sputtered, a few tears leaking out of her eyes and spilling onto her cheeks as she laughed, shoving Blake away from her gently and onto her back. She sniffled and pinned Blake’s wrists next to her head, Blake’s eyes showing a bit of shock.

“I think that’s you.” Yang replied, letting her own smirk show as Blake looked up at her.

Blake quickly recovered and let that same smirk slip back onto her lips, a sight that was truly unfairly attractive in Yang’s opinion, and she hummed thoughtfully.

“Oh, you think I’m hot?” Blake shot back, and Yang may have been on top, but she quickly realised she was already losing this battle and decided she should probably tap out before she said or did something absolutely stupid.

So, she groaned and pushed against Blake’s face, Blake’s light giggle echoing throughout the room as she did so, ending their little feud for the time being.

Yang left soon after that, and a few days a week, she would find herself back at Blake’s place, hiding from the overbearing and suffocating atmosphere of her own home with _her_ there.

It all came to a head one night, after one of Yang’s football games that went a bit later than usual - a victory for Beacon, and although Tai couldn’t make this one, she at least had Blake and Ruby to congratulate her and give her warm hugs afterwards, with Blake planting a soft kiss on her cheek and sending her into a small spiral.

She and Ruby had to walk home again, because Raven refused to come get them when Yang called her - and there was no doubt a slur to her words when she spoke to her, and Yang grimaced as she hung up on her mid sentence, taking a breath to calm herself down.

“Everything okay?” Ruby asked her, and Yang pursed her lips, looking at her sister to her right. She threw a, hopefully, convincing smile onto her face and nodded to her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder gently.

“‘Course.” Yang said. “Let’s just get home, okay?”

And after another twenty minutes of walking in the chilly night air of Autumn, Yang carrying both her school bag and sports bag, muscles aching from the game she played and fatigue seeping into her bones, she and Ruby finally made it back home.

Only to see Raven outside, her motorbike revved up with bags attached to it.

Yang blinked a few times, and she despised how her heart plummeted to the ground at the sight of Raven like this, when it was something Yang expected this whole time. She expected her to try to leave while she wasn’t home, or when Tai least expected it.

She got what she wanted out of them - money, food, clothes, a place to stay. And now she was done with them - again.

“Going somewhere?” Yang called to her, her bags slipping from her hold and onto their lawn as Raven spun around to look at her, her phone in her hand, seemingly texting someone.

Raven’s eyes were unfocused, clearly still a little drunk, but she was sober enough to recognise Yang and Ruby, and definitely sober enough to be texting someone late at night and packing her things.

“Yang.” Raven said, and Yang fought the strong urge to run up to her and grab the lapels of her jacket and scream in her face - demand answers to what was going on, to why she didn’t want to stay longer, despite Yang not even _wanting_ her there anymore.

“Ruby, go inside.” Yang said with a clenched jaw, and at Ruby’s hesitance beside her, she glanced at her sister, her silver eyes wide with concern and fear at the situation. Yang took a breath and motioned towards the house, giving her a soft look. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

Ruby’s throat bobbed and she looked at Raven, then at Yang, and then nodded solemnly, rushing her way to the door of the house and leaving the two of them behind outside.

“Look, Yang…” Raven started, clearing her throat and leaning herself back onto her bike, crossing her arms on her chest as Yang snapped her eyes to her, narrowing them slightly. “I was never gonna stay long.”

Yang scoffed and crossed her own arms, her glare full of a fire that she wasn’t aware she was capable of before.

“I figured.” Yang said in a clipped tone.

Raven sighed and pushed herself off of her bike, glancing at her phone as it lit up, then slipping it into her pocket and looking up at Yang.

“My friend is coming to drive me out of here.” Raven said. “Tell Tai-”

“Tell him _yourself_.” Yang gritted her teeth, curling her fingers around the fabric of her bomber jacket. “He deserves that much after everything he’s done for you these past weeks.”

“Maybe.” Raven replied, looking slightly uncomfortable now. “But, I can’t- I don’t want to look into his eyes when I say goodbye. Not good at them.” Raven mumbled, half-shrugging, and Yang wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel an ounce of empathy for that, but it did the exact opposite as anger flared up inside of her.

“But you’re just _amazing_ at abandoning people, huh?” Yang growled back, and before Raven could interrupt or deter her, she barrelled forward, stalking herself closer to her until they were face to face, the woman looking startled for a moment. “You know I thought about you? For 17 years, I wondered what you would be like. How you would look at me, if you saw how I had grown up. I wondered if you would ever come back.”

Raven pursed her lips, but stayed silent as Yang continued.

“I _needed_ you. _Dad_ and I needed you, but you just up and left without even a note!” Yang yelled in her face, eyes almost rimming with crimson as tears welled up in them, her heart cracking in her chest at all the troubling memories that were surfacing in her mind. “Dad picked up the pieces as best as he could, and when he met Ruby’s mom, he was finally happy again, but even _she_ left - but not because she wanted to.”

Raven looked surprised at that, but Yang didn’t give her the satisfaction of an explanation - she didn’t deserve any of that.

“Then it was up to _me_ \- _I_ had to be there, taking care of Ruby _and_ dad, all the while making sure I got to school on time and didn’t fail any of my classes.” Yang said, the exhaustion already flooding her up inside. “And I _still_ thought of you - wondering where you were, wondering if you would have changed. But I can see now, that all you ever cared about was yourself.”

Yang let out a deep breath, a few tears trickling down her cheeks.

“You were never my mother, and you aren’t now.” Yang hissed, and even if she noticed the slight shift in Raven’s expression at those words, she truly didn’t care at this point. “ _Summer_ was, and I wish she were still here. But _you_?” Yang scoffed and backed off from Raven a little, sniffling and rubbing her eyes on her sleeve. “I wish you didn’t come back at all.”

Yang puffed out a breath and turned away, pulling her phone out to send Ruby a quick text, same with her dad, and then pocketed her phone again, rubbing at her eyes once more.

“Yang…” Raven started, but Yang just threw up a hand for her to stop, shoulders shaking with anger.

“Just go.” Yang said, taking a calming breath, her next destination already in mind. “It’s all you’re good at, anyways.”

And with that, Yang left her in the driveway with her motorbike running, and her friend making his way down the sidewalk to drive them both away, possibly for good this time.

Yang didn’t care anymore - she knew where she had to go, otherwise, she would break apart in seconds.

It took her half the time as usual to get to Blake’s house, and up the familiar tree. She had sent Blake a text on her way over, and the lights were on inside her room as she got to the top of the tree.

“Blake?” Yang said, and in seconds she was there - opening her window and letting her inside, Yang falling into her stable arms and finally allowing herself to cry.

She buried her face into Blake’s neck, tears flooding from her eyes and dampening Blake’s skin, but she seemed to not care as she led them over to her bed, sitting them down on the edge and holding Yang close, rubbing soothing circles up and down her back.

“It’s okay.” Blake whispered, pressing her lips to Yang’s head and gently washing the words over her. “I’m here, it’ll be okay.”

Yang whimpered and clung onto her even tighter, sobs wracking her body. But Blake never complained once - never even told her to quiet down for fear of her parents catching them. She just let Yang cry into her neck, let her unload all of the emotions she had been keeping inside of her all this time.

“Honey, it’s okay.” Blake said into her hair, and the longer Blake spoke to her in that soothing tone and gently rubbed her back, the more she felt herself calming down and collecting herself. 

It took a few more moments, but eventually, she gathered her wits and pushed back some of her tears and sobs, breaths uneven and shaky as she pulled herself away from Blake’s neck, sniffling harshly.

“What happened?” Blake asked softly, taking Yang’s hand in both of hers.

Yang sniffled again and clenched her watery eyes shut, shaking her head.

“She- she-” She paused for a second, wiping some of her own tears away. “She’s leaving again.”

“ _Oh_ …” Blake breathed out, her furry ears lowering sadly on her head, and she immediately encouraged Yang to lay down on her bed with her, allowing her to snuggle up against her and bury her head into her chest. Blake sighed deeply and placed her hand in her hair, threading her fingers through her hair like she’d done so many times before.

Yang sighed shakily and squeezed her arms around Blake’s sturdy form.

“I’m not surprised.” Yang mumbled into Blake’s chest. “I… Didn’t trust that she would stick around for long.”

“But it still hurts.” Blake muttered in understanding, and Yang nodded, trying her best to focus on Blake’s heartbeat, the slight raciness to it now, and the feeling of her fingers in her hair that always managed to soothe her no matter the situation.

It helped even now, Blake’s presence providing her with the safety and comfort she had always desired from another person. And maybe it wasn’t Raven, in the end, but Blake wasn’t Raven. She was there with her - _always_ there, picking her up when she was down, giving her a place she could run to when things got hard.

Blake’s room - no, Blake herself - was more a home to her these past few weeks than her actual home, and it overwhelmed Yang just how much she cherished her in her life.

Yang’s shoulders eventually stopped shaking, and eventually her breathing had evened out, most of her tears having been spent. She stayed in Blake’s arms though, perfectly content to let her run her fingers through her hair a bit longer.

“I just wish I knew why she didn’t want me.” Yang murmured into the soft atmosphere around them, and Blake made a noise underneath her, her fingers stilling in Yang’s hair.

“ _Yang_.” Blake said, shifting under her so Yang would lift herself up. Blake met her eyes and raised her hands to frame her face in her hands, a look of soft adoration pouring from every one of her features.

“I won’t pretend to know all the reasons for what she’s done.” Blake said, caressing Yang’s cheeks with her thumbs, the soft touch sending a shiver down Yang’s spine. “But all I know is that whatever they are, _nothing_ should be more important to her than you.”

Yang’s breath hitched at the intensity of Blake’s amber orbs, her heart skipping a beat when one of Blake’s hands moved down to cup her jaw, thumb stroking along her jawline now.

“You’re… Extraordinary. You’re _amazing_ , and if she can’t see that, then I’d say she doesn’t deserve you or your family in the slightest.” Blake continued, voice soft yet firm in the small space between them. “You deserve a mother that understands you and loves you unconditionally, and I’m sorry that you lost the one that did.” 

Yang’s chest tightened at the thought of Summer, but Blake made sure to quickly bring her attention back to their conversation, not allowing her to linger for too long on those memories.

“And it may not be the same, and I know no matter what I say won’t completely take away the pain that Raven caused you.” Blake said, pulling Yang down to rest her forehead against hers, looking deep into her eyes. “But you’re always safe with me. And I-” Blake cut herself off, cheeks suddenly tinged pink as her ears lowered against her head.

Yang waited patiently, but when Blake still didn’t continue whatever her thought was, Yang lightly pressed her hand into Blake’s side, making the girl squeak under her.

“You what?” Yang said, some of her usual teasing nature coming back - all thanks to Blake, who never failed to make Yang feel better, who never failed to make Yang feel loved and appreciated, even if her own mother didn’t.

Blake squirmed and giggled a little at the tickling at her side, cheeks heating up even more much to Yang’s delight.

“I-I just…” Blake sighed and chewed on her bottom lip in contemplation, before taking a breath and meeting Yang’s eyes again. “Your dad, and Ruby will always love you for who you are, even if Raven won’t.”

Blake paused and smiled shyly at her, catching Yang off guard momentarily.

“And… _I_ will always love you for who you are.” Blake said gently, whispering between them in the soft, gentle glow of the fairy lights and the minuscule stream of moonlight through the curtains.

Yang blinked at her several times, the words barely processing in her brain before Blake decided to keep going.

“Raven may be going, and maybe it means she doesn’t want you.” Blake said, leaning up to nuzzle her nose against Yang’s, Yang’s breath stuttering and her stomach filling with a mountain of butterflies. “But your family wants you for who you are. And… I want you.”

Yang’s mind blanked out at that, unsure of what to think or what to even say to _any_ of the things that Blake had said to her. It was… Overwhelming, and so many thoughts and feelings whirled inside of her mind. She found it hard to sort through it all - everything a jumbled mess all of a sudden, and she truly had to give Blake credit for finding ways to leave her speechless, while also giving her mind something else to focus on besides Raven at the moment.

Blake was staring up at her, eyes shining with a loving glow and Yang really only had one response to all the loving, beautiful things she had said.

Before she even realised what she was doing, she leaned forward, barely leaving a brush of her lips on Blake’s before she was sharply pulling away in a panic, eyes widening at what she’d just done.

“I-I’m sorry, Blake, I didn’t- I wasn’t-” Yang swallowed and went to pull herself away from her, only for Blake to wrap her arms around her neck to keep her close, her amber eyes looking up at her with that same expression and her lips turned up in a smile.

Blake leaned up and captured her lips again, soft and chaste, and once again much too short as she pulled away to lay back against her pillow, a bright look in her eyes. 

Yang’s lips tingled from that small kiss, and there was now an added layer of confusion and uncertainty about what just happened, unsure if she dreamt it or conjured all this up in her mind somehow.

But Blake remained underneath her, a fond look in her eyes as Yang went through an internal spiral.

“That… Was nice.” Blake muttered, and Yang gulped when she reached out to cup her jaw again, ears fluttering on her head when Yang’s breath hitched slightly. “But… You’re still upset, and I think we should get you home. Tai must be worried.”

Yang’s hazy mind cleared with the mention of her father, her eyes widening as she shot away from Blake, pulling out her phone to see a plethora of messages and missed calls from both Tai _and_ Ruby. 

She forgot she put her phone on silent when she got there.

“Shit. I gotta go.” Yang said, and Blake hummed as Yang scrambled off the bed, brushing her clothes down and also her hair before rushing to the window, opening it up fully.

She heard Blake shuffling behind her and when she settled on the branch outside and turned herself around, Blake was at the window, leaning on the sill with her elbow placed there and her chin cradled in her hand, a small smile on her face.

“Um… Can we-” Yang started, pausing when she heard the voice of Blake’s father just underneath her through the window of their living room. She winced and scratched the back of her head, looking back up at Blake’s amused gaze. “Can we… Talk about- you know, _that_ , soon?” Yang said, mind flitting back to that brief, beautiful moment where Blake’s lips were on hers.

Blake’s smile remained as she nodded gently - understanding flooding from her eyes.

“You know where to find me.” Blake said, and with a fairly flirty wink towards her, she pulled herself away from the window and placed her hands on it, ready to close it and leave Yang for the night.

“Wait.” Yang said, and Blake paused, glancing through the window at her with a curious look in her eye.

Yang swallowed and licked her lips, heat on her cheeks.

“Thank you, for always being here.” Yang said with sincerity, a genuine smile on her face. “And, uh, I also… Love you for who you are, and stuff.” Yang cringed at herself, her words definitely not as smooth as Blake’s had been, but that didn’t seem to matter with the way Blake looked at her then - gentle and patient as always.

Blake leaned herself out of her window, and with a quick beckon towards Yang to get her to lean closer, she smiled and placed a soft kiss on Yang’s cheek, Yang’s stomach jumping through hoops.

“Thank you.” She breathed against her cheek, a slight grin erupting on her face. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” Blake said, and with one last quick smile, she leaned back into her room and shut her window, drawing the curtains.

Yang exhaled a deep breath, shaking her head a little to rid her mind of the weird fuzziness that had overtaken it. She descended from the tree, and with one last look to Blake’s window, she began her trek home.

Raven was gone when she got there, and once again, Yang had to pick up the pieces of her father, who she knew had hoped this time would be different.

But she thought about what Blake had said to her - thought about what was possibly brewing between the two of them now, with those few kisses connecting them in a way that Yang hadn’t been sure would ever happen.

And even though it hurt her just as much this time around, she was able to remain stronger this time.

With Tai, Ruby, and most assuredly Blake, by her side through this, she knew she would be okay this time.

Raven may not want her, but Yang had come to terms with that.

There were others that did, and that was enough for her.


	56. lay your head down (Yang-Centric)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: # of times yang took care of everyone else and the one time they took care of her
> 
> premise: takes place over yang's life basically and ive made up different moments alongside canon times in the show where there are 4 times yang takes care of others, and then they take care of her <3

Yang was used to being the protective one. **  
**

It was the role she fell into even at the ripe age of seven, when Summer went off on a mission and never came back, and it fell to Yang to pick up all the pieces that had shattered and splintered because of her death.

It was just natural for her, even if sometimes, the responsibility weighed down on her shoulders, the weight of everyone else depending on her almost suffocating her until there was no room left for her to care for herself.

But, maybe one day, there would come a time where it _wasn’t_ her. Where it was someone else doing the caring - protecting _her_ , being there for _her_.

One day, maybe she’d allow herself that luxury.

***

_i._

“Daddy?”

Yang barrelled through the front door with her pants ripped and her face all muddy, grin so wide that the gaps in her teeth were shown. She listened for a second, and when her father didn’t call back to her, Yang’s grin turned into a pout.

“Daddy? Ruby said she was hungry.” Yang yelled into the house, her little voice bouncing off the walls as she walked further in, taking a detour into the kitchen area of the house.

She didn’t see him there either, and she puffed out her cheeks, turning around and exiting the room, going on a journey through the house, checking each and every room - living room, bathroom, _upstairs_ bathroom.

When all of those places failed to show her father in any way, she finally made her way down the upstairs hallway to the last room - besides her own - that she hadn’t checked yet. She skipped down the hall, stopping at the slightly ajar door to her father’s room.

Yang raised her tiny fist and knocked a few times.

“Dad?” Yang said, and she heard a shuffle inside the room, her smile returning as she pushed the door open.

She was met with darkness - only a faint light streaming through the crack in the curtains from the fading sunlight. It was a little scary, but Yang was brave - she knew how to fight well already, and Summer once told her that her scrappy nature would come in handy one day.

She wanted to cry when she thought of Summer - she missed her a lot, but right now there was something more important she had to deal with.

She saw the lump on the bed, blankets pushed to the floor. She heard the slight sniffle from that lump, and Yang walked with careful steps inside the room, playing with her fingers as she walked around the clump of blankets to the other side of the bed.

“Daddy?” Yang whispered, and Tai finally stirred a little, his eyes popping open just as she rounded the bed onto his side. He sniffled and hastily wiped his puffy, red eyes, looking at Yang unfocused and unsure.

“Yang?” Tai said, voice gruff and low, and Yang raised her hand to start playing with the orange scarf around her neck while the man raised himself onto his elbow, reaching his other hand out to lay on top of Yang’s head.

“Ruby’s hungry.” Yang said quietly, leaning into her dad’s touch, not even whining when he ruffled her hair a little. Yang looked at him, and although the dark around them mostly swallowed him up, she still saw his eyes - brimming with more tears and looking almost broken when she spoke to him.

“Right.” Tai replied, clearing his throat. “You, uh… You can get a sandwich for her, okay, kiddo?” Tai said, nodding at her and patting her head one more time before rolling over onto his back, avoiding her gaze now.

Yang wanted to cry again. She wanted to get her father out of bed, she wanted him to stop being sad somehow, she wanted him to get up and come play outside with them like he used to - throwing the ball back and forth with her, play fighting with her and Ruby sometimes.

But he just laid there, and Yang clenched her little fingers around the orange scarf, nodding slowly.

“Okay.” Yang said into the quiet, and when Tai said nothing back to her, she walked away from his side of the bed, only to gather up the blankets from the floor. With a bit of difficulty given her small size, she was able to throw them back onto the bed, over her father, and began tucking him in just like she’d seen him do for her.

When that was done, she raised herself next to him on the bed, and she pressed a sloppy kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll get you one too, daddy.” Yang said to him, and all he did was give her the briefest of smiles before he was rolling away from her again, his back to her now.

Yang pulled herself away, planted her feet back down onto the floor, and walked over to the door.

With one last look to her father, she closed the door behind her, and although she wanted to cry her eyes out, she held it back. She pushed it down as far as it would go - it wasn’t the time for her to do that, even if she felt it creeping up inside of her.

Dad needed her.

He needed her to be strong.

***

_ii._

She couldn’t sleep.

She tossed and turned for a little longer in her bed, and when sleep continued to evade her, she puffed out a breath and raised herself up, running a hand through her hair.

She checked her scroll, reading the time - 2:00 am - and she huffed another breath, turning it off and placing it on the nightstand near her bed.

After everything that occurred just mere hours ago, there was no way she was going to be getting any sleep any time soon. Considering they got caught up in a battle for Haven, Weiss got _stabbed_ , Yang’s mother showed up and sprung the fact that she was the Spring Maiden on her without any warning, and then…

Blake came back. And she was _staying_.

Yang released a breath, shaking her head, trying to rid herself of the image of Blake standing there at that massive hole in the wall, looking bewildered and shocked and _tired_ , all rolled into one, but all Yang could focus on was how _amazing_ she looked in her new outfit, and how beautiful her eyes were when they settled on Yang after she surveyed the room.

How she said Yang’s name after so long of not hearing it, and how Yang desperately wanted to run to her and engulf her in a hug - hold her close and cup the back of her head and let her bury her head into her neck, tell her that she was _happy_ she was back.

But then Ruby called her name, and all of that rushed out of her just as quickly, and all that was left was uncertainty over how she was going to deal with having Blake back in her life now.

They had to catch the train tomorrow - on their way to Atlas now for the next relic, and she should _really_ be trying to get some sleep after everything, but for the life of her, it just wouldn’t come.

Especially when she heard something shuffling outside of her room, and a faint curse from someone that suspiciously sounded like Weiss.

Yang furrowed her eyebrows and before she realised, she was out of her bed and walking to her door. She ran a hand down her face, and when she opened her door, she heard a much clearer sound of someone rummaging towards the kitchen area of their space in the Academy.

Yang quirked up her eyebrow as she walked out of her room, using the minimal light in the kitchen area to guide her path towards it, keeping her steps light as she padded her way over.

“Ugh, how is there nothing _remotely_ edible in here?” She heard Weiss grumble, and Yang bit back a laugh as she rounded the corner, eyes catching Weiss’ hunched over form raiding the fridge, the light from inside illuminating the unimpressed look on her face.

“Didn’t take you for a middle of the night snacker.” Yang said, and watched with amusement as Weiss jumped out of her skin, almost banging her head on the top of the fridge.

“ _Yang_.” Weiss hissed, straightening herself up and sighing deeply as she closed the fridge, prompting Yang to turn the light on in the kitchen so they could see each other properly. Weiss gave her a slight glare, but Yang just smirked back at her, motioning to the fridge.

“Nothing good?” Yang asked, and Weiss sighed again, shaking her head.

“Nothing that I can stomach right now.” Weiss muttered.

Yang hummed in understanding - they’ve all been through a lot, but Weiss especially - Yang’s eyes straying to Weiss’ side, where her night shirt covered the bandages wrapped around her abdomen.

Weiss followed her line of sight and self-consciously pressed her hand over that spot, breaking Yang’s intense gaze on it. Yang raised her eyes to meet Weiss’, and Weiss gave her a soft, reassuring smile.

“I’m okay.” Weiss said, and Yang knew she was telling the truth. She _was_ fine, and Yang could see that with her own two eyes. But there was always a small part of Yang that couldn’t let it go when she saw someone she cared about hurt like that - that part of her that wanted to shield them from any sort of pain that may be feeling, and there was no exception when it came to Weiss.

Weiss took a _spear_ to the stomach for this fight, for _them_ \- and it hurt Yang that she felt like she couldn’t do anything in return for that.

“Are you… Sure?” Yang asked carefully, raising her hand to rub the back of her neck. “If you’re hungry, I could whip you up something.” Yang offered, nodding to the fridge where there was probably at least _something_ left over for them to eat.

Weiss wrinkled her nose and shook her head, holding her hands out in front of her.

“ _Absolutely_ not. I already heard from Blake about the times you tried to cook for her at Beacon.” Weiss said it as a joke - she was teasing, with a slight smile on her face, but once she realised just who she brought up, the smile vanished from her face and her eyes widened a little.

Yang swallowed and glanced away from her, suddenly feeling so small under Weiss’ gaze. She _hated_ the pity in her eyes now, _hated_ the way she looked at her as if she were going to break any second.

 _She_ was the strong one. _She_ was the one that was there for others.

So, she huffed out a breath and cracked a grin, placing her hands on her hips and meeting Weiss’ apologetic eyes.

“ _Please_ , I’ve gotten better.” Yang said, making her way inside of the kitchen and over to the fridge and cabinets, finding various ingredients to make something she _knew_ she could make with perfection - a simple sandwich.

“Yang, it’s really okay.” Weiss said to her as she began making it. “You’ve… Gone through a lot too, you know.” She said softly, and Yang paused in her movements.

She took in Weiss’ words - her mind flitting back to her reunion with Blake, meeting Raven again, only for her to leave her behind just as she had when she was young. She thought back to how her heart had splintered and cracked, how her tears flowed freely down her face when Raven left her down there with the relic, alone and abandoned.

It was a lot - Weiss was right.

But, this wasn’t about her. It would never _be_ about her - this was for her friend, one that almost _died_ tonight fighting for what she believed in, fighting for _everyone_ in that room.

So, Yang pushed all of that away as usual, and when she came back out of her thoughts, Weiss was trying to take over the whole operation. Yang playfully slapped at her hand and pointed a finger in her face, narrowing her eyes.

“Just take a seat, ma’am. I’ve got this.” Yang plastered a, hopefully, convincing smile on her face towards the other girl, and while Weiss still didn’t seem all that convinced, she backed off a little, huffing a laugh and crossing her arms on her chest.

“ _Fine_. It better be good.” Weiss said, rolling her eyes and leaving the kitchen to go sit down in the lounging area, waiting on Yang to finish making her five star meal.

Yang sighed and went back to work, putting her focus back into this.

She couldn’t afford to think about herself at a time like this - Weiss was hungry, and Weiss needed her right now, needed her to be there for her after everything she had gone through that night.

So, she pushed everything else out of her mind and finished making the sandwich, all previous thoughts of Raven and Blake leaving her as she took care of her friend.

She had to be strong - for Weiss.

***

_iii._

Adam was gone.

That was the thought that replayed again and again in her mind as she pressed her forehead against Blake’s while she cried, her eyes rimmed with red and slightly puffy due to the excessive tears. Her hand laid over top of Yang’s on her cheek, and Yang took a breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

He was gone.

He wouldn’t come after them again - he wouldn’t try to break them ever again, wouldn’t be able to get into their heads and destroy them from the inside out ever again. Because he was _gone_ \- down that waterfall, blood seeping from his wounds and possibly staining the water red, and suddenly Yang felt _sick_.

“I’m sorry.” Blake said, voice cracking, but Yang would have none of that.

“Don’t.” Yang whispered, opening her eyes to find Blake staring back at her still, tear tracks flowing down her cheeks. Blake tried to even her breathing a little more, and Yang shifted herself closer to her, maintaining their eye contact. “It’s not your fault.”

“But-” Blake started, her ears flattening against her skull.

“Blake.” Yang cut her off, caressing her thumbs along both of her cheeks, making sure their eyes never strayed from each other. “We had no choice.”

“I know.” Blake said with a shaky breath, her throat bobbing as she pulled her eyes away from Yang’s, looking over towards the waterfall. 

Yang watched her for a moment, before she took a breath and extracted herself from her partner. Blake’s head whipped towards her, her eyes suddenly wide open and full of _fear_ \- full of a vulnerability that Yang had never seen in her before, but also completely and wholly honest. Her amber eyes shone with more tears, and Yang made sure to grasp her hands in hers, squeezing them gently.

“We’re safe now.” Yang whispered in the minuscule space between them. “He’s gone. And I’m here. _We’re_ here, together, and he won’t take that away from us ever again.” She took in her partner’s fragile state, her ears pinned to her head and her eyes and cheeks still wet. Yang let out a sigh and glanced behind her, towards the path that Blake had taken to end up in this area.

“We need to get to the others. Are you… Okay to walk?” Yang approached the topic carefully, flitting her eyes back onto Blake, who blinked and looked down at herself, perhaps just now realising her own state and just how exhausted she was.

“I… I think so.” Blake replied, and Yang nodded once, standing herself up slowly while holding one of Blake’s hands, encouraging her to follow her lead. Blake was a little wobbly as she did so, her knees slightly shaking, but Yang pressed her other hand to Blake’s hip, steadying her.

Blake whimpered and suddenly fell forward, her hand slapping over the scar on her other hip - the deep x-shaped mark that had haunted her since the Fall, the piece of Adam that he made sure to always keep with her no matter where she went or what she did.

Yang caught her in her arms, grunting a little as she held her up. Blake’s body pressed against hers, and Yang looked down at her with concerned lilac eyes, tightening her hold around her when Blake let out another sound of pain.

“I’m sorry, I-” Blake winced, shaking her head. “It… Flares up, sometimes. And because that fight broke my aura too…” Blake trailed off, swallowing and letting out a pained sigh.

Yang’s heart cracked at the pained look on her partner’s face. She could tell Blake was trying to be strong, trying to push away the pain in order to continue their journey back to where the others were located. But without Yang’s bike, and both of them exhausted and their auras depleted, it would definitely take double the time to get back there if they had to hold each other up the whole time.

So, Yang exhaled slowly and gently pulled back from Blake, making sure to steady her back on her feet as she did so. Blake’s eyes caught hers, curious and questioning, and Yang cracked a grin at her - perhaps a bit out of place given their circumstances - and Yang spun around, crouching herself down and holding her hands out behind her.

“Hop on.” Yang said.

She heard a light gasp from behind her.

“What? Yang, _no_.” Blake replied with a firm tone, and Yang glanced behind her to meet her eyes, her partner’s eyebrows furrowed and her hand still pressed over the scar on her hip.

Yang’s eyes trailed down to that hand, before looking back up into Blake’s eyes, motioning to her.

“We need to get back to the others, and you’re too beat up to walk. I’ve got you, okay?” Yang said, hoping her soft smile will convince her to take her up on the offer. 

But Blake still looked hesitant, her eyes shifting all over Yang’s face briefly, before a frown made its way onto her face.

“And what about you?” Blake whispered, so quiet and soft that Yang almost missed it due to the rushing waterfall near them.

Yang’s breath hitched at the gentle look in Blake’s gaze, her heart doing a flip when her hand reached out to lay on her shoulder. She swallowed and glanced away from her for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.

She couldn’t lie to herself - she was _exhausted_. She had put everything into that fight, taking every ounce of damage and pain imaginable in order to build up her semblance enough to finally do the final blow to Adam - but it was also that blast of energy that sucked her aura dry and left her feeling so tired she could collapse right then and there.

Her muscles ached, her eyes felt heavy, her legs felt a little like jelly.

But Blake needed her now - she could barely _stand_ on her own, let alone walk given her current state. And even though Yang knew it would exhaust her even more, she wasn’t going to make her partner walk in this condition, not when they needed to get back as quickly as possible.

Yang pursed her lips and gestured to Blake again, determination and a brief moment of strength filling her up inside.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” Yang said, placing as much sincerity and confidence in the words as she could in order to finally convince Blake somehow. “We need to go, okay? I’ll rest on the airship.”

Blake stared at her, her legs wobbling a little and a brief flash of pain coming across her face when another flare up happened through her body, her fist clenching at her side.

Then, she breathed out a deep sigh and nodded to Yang, slowly but surely wobbling closer to her crouched form. Yang gave her an encouraging smile, and with a brief moment of hesitation, Blake grunted in pain and hoisted herself onto Yang’s back, Yang straightening herself up and immediately gripping onto Blake’s thighs to raise her up a bit more.

Blake wrapped her arms around Yang’s neck, her head instantly sinking to her shoulder. She breathed out into Yang’s neck, Yang’s cheeks flushing a little at the proximity of her face and the goosebumps that blanketed her skin in the wake of that breath.

“Comfy?” Yang said with a goofy smile, glancing at Blake resting on her shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but when Yang spoke, they opened into minor slits, a small smile forming onto her face as she nodded.

“The comfiest.” Blake said with a sigh, closing her eyes again.

Yang’s heart did a small flip at that, but she tried to push that to the side for now.

They went through something that would stay with them for a long time - something that would haunt their dreams, keep them awake at night and seek each other out to comfort one another. Something that would make their stomachs churn with unease and make their blood run cold every time they saw the colour red - every time they saw a single thing that reminded them of this moment.

But, they were safe now - they were together, as Yang held Blake on her back and walked them back to the others, away from that waterfall, and away from the smell of blood and death in that once pristine, untouched area.

And Yang pushed any and all thoughts of her own pain and exhaustion in that moment in order to hold her partner up - hold her close and bring them to safety.

She could deal with her own wounds - internal and external - much later.

***

_iv._

Ironwood turned on them.

They really should have seen it coming - and Yang couldn’t fault Ruby anymore for keeping the relic a secret from him for so long, considering the actions he’d taken against them already.

They’ve fought the Ace-Ops and won - she and Blake mopped the _floor_ with Elm and Vine - but she didn’t have the time to celebrate that small victory, and neither did anyone else as they boarded the airship that would take them away from the Academy for the time being.

She was sitting with Blake - to the surprise of absolutely no one - and her partner’s hand was pressed against the small of her back, the warmth and softness spreading all over her body and engulfing her in much needed comfort.

“Are you okay?” Blake asked softly, voice low and for Yang’s ears only.

Yang let out a sigh and nodded, glancing up into her eyes and giving her a soft smile.

“Are you?” She replied, and Blake’s ears curled down on her head in a sad gesture, a half-shrug being Yang’s only answer until she finally said something, her hand absentmindedly beginning to rub small circles over Yang’s back.

“I’m just glad we’re all together.” Blake said, trying her best to smile back at her, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Yang wanted to reach out and hold her then - press her head into her chest and wrap her arms around her tightly, determined not to let go ever again. That feeling increased tenfold the longer Blake rubbed against her back, the touch soft and soothing despite everything they’ve gone through.

But, as much as she wanted to stay in that comfort, she couldn’t.

“I need to talk to Ruby.” Yang said, her eyes moving away from Blake and over to her sister, who had previously been sitting down with Penny and Weiss, but was now standing by herself over towards one of the windows of the airship, looking lost in her own thoughts with her hand clenching her red cloak.

She heard Blake hum, and when she looked back to her, her partner nodded at her and reached out to squeeze her hand gently, before pulling herself away from her.

“I’ll go see if Penny’s doing okay.” Blake said, and with that, she stood up and walked over towards that side of the airship, sitting down beside Penny and Weiss on the bench.

Yang let out a small breath and stood up from the bench. She made her steps light and walked slowly up to her sister at the window, swallowing around the lump that had formed in her throat at the sight of her looking so… _Lost_ , and uncertain and scared.

“Ruby?” Yang said carefully, and even with her slow steps and gentle demeanour, Ruby still jumped at the sound of her voice, spinning around to look up at her with wide silver eyes. But once she realised it was Yang, she relaxed her shoulders a bit.

“Hey.” Ruby replied. Her voice was light - almost nonexistent as she turned herself back to the window, and Yang tentatively reached a hand out towards her, placing it on her shoulder.

“Are you doing okay?” Yang asked, and for a moment, Ruby said nothing as she simply stared out of the window, her shoulders tensing up again at Yang’s touch. Yang pursed her lips and stepped a bit closer, ducking her head to try and catch Ruby’s eye as she squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “Do you… Need anything?”

Ruby blinked and glanced at her. Yang wasn’t sure what to make of the look in her eyes, but she wasn’t able to read it before it was gone again - replaced with a plastered on smile and a forced bright look in her eyes, and Yang’s heart was stabbed with pins and needles at the thought of Ruby pushing those feelings down - pushing everything that had happened away, clamping down Salem’s words that stained the image of Summer for her - for _both_ of them.

She wasn’t going to let Ruby do that - not after everything.

“Rubes.” Yang said softly - slight desperation to her tone, and she placed her other hand on Ruby’s other shoulder, turning her body to fully face her, forcing her to look up into her eyes. 

Her silver eyes were wide at the change of position, and at this angle, she could already see the moisture in them - could already see the cracks in the armour that her sister - her _little sister_ \- tried so hard to maintain in front of her. 

She was always being the leader - always being strong for other people, never thinking once about her own feelings or what she wanted.

Perhaps Yang knew a bit about that as well.

Which was why, despite how her own heart pricked with pain and how her own memories and thoughts of Summer were tainted by that monster, despite her own tears bubbling just under the surface over everything that went down, and despite the worry and fear that she felt about what lies ahead for them all - she also pushed it down.

Ruby was broken right now, even if she didn’t say it. 

So, Yang tightened her hold on Ruby’s shoulders, and simply with a more pleading look in Yang’s eyes, Ruby began to crumble. Her shoulders shook a little, and Yang was quick to reach for her, Ruby falling into her embrace and wrapping her arms around her midsection.

“ _Yang_.” Ruby whimpered into her chest, and Yang clenched her eyes shut, battling back the tears that threatened to escape her at the crack in Ruby’s voice, the slight tightness to her hold on Yang’s body.

“It’s okay.” Yang whispered, holding her tightly and allowing her to release her sobs into her chest, no doubt dampening her bomber jacket in the process.

But she didn’t care. 

All she cared about was holding her sister tight and telling her it would be okay - even if things looked bad, and even if she herself was uncertain and plagued by the thought of Summer just as much as Ruby, it didn’t matter.

Ruby’s hands clutched at the back of Yang’s jacket, and Yang took a shaky breath, cupping a hand on the back of Ruby’s head as she continued to let her tears fall from her eyes.

She held her all the way to the hideout in Mantle - ignoring the concerned looks from the rest of their friends, and ignoring the times Ruby tried to move past the situation and look after _her_ instead.

Yang couldn’t allow that.

She would be there for Ruby - no matter what.

***

_+1_

Yang was dead.

Or, at least, that’s how she _felt_.

Every bone and muscle in her body was screaming at her - her head was pounding with a splitting pain, her ears were ringing, and her eyes felt swollen and nailed shut like a coffin.

Her mind was completely rattled, her thoughts hazy and unfocused as she tried to make sense of what happened and where she was. It was difficult to focus on anything specific in that moment besides the fact that she was on her back, and she distantly heard shouting and fighting around her, but it faded in and out like she was like floating in space - drifting in and out of consciousness every few seconds.

“Yang!”

And then there was a voice - a voice so sweet that it seemed to bring her back to the land of the living for just a moment, allowing her to hone in on it.

“Yang, _please_ get up.”

There it was again, cutting through the chaos that surrounded her and the foggy parts of her mind to reach her, to bloom a warm feeling inside of her chest despite her body feeling like it was on fire.

Yang couldn’t ignore it this time even if she wanted to, her heart desperately calling out to that voice, yelling at her to get up, to _wake up_.

She grunted as she tried to listen to that, tried her best to move herself, only for strong hands to weigh down on her shoulders.

“Take it easy, it’s okay. We’ve got you.”

The voice was so much clearer now, right above her and protruding through her ears and blocking out the incessant fighting sounds around her.

“Blake?” She tried to say, but all that really came out was a small croak, barely audible.

“I’m here, it’s okay.” Blake replied, and Yang gathered as much strength as she could to flutter her eyes open, wincing at the blinding light of the sun just above them in the sky, her senses being overwhelmed with everything all at once.

Her eyes eventually focused, and when she saw Blake Belladonna sitting there, hands on her shoulders and her eyes staring down at her, worry and concern pouring from her gaze, Yang truly believed miracles existed.

As she looked up at her, it all seemed to come rushing back into her mind at once - getting arrested, travelling to the Whale in order to find Oscar, Winter and the Ace-Ops dropping the bomb _just_ as they made it to the entrance of the beast, the blast still managing to hit them and send her, Jaune, Ren and Oscar flying and slamming them back down into the ground, leaving them in the state of disarray they were in now.

Then she heard even more voices in the mix, and her attention was stolen over to her left. _All_ her friends were there, back together, fighting and driving back as much Grimm as possible on the battlefield, with Jaune, Ren and Oscar down just next to her, all of them equally as banged up and battered as her - she spotted Weiss, and Nora and Penny, and to her surprise, _Glynda_ was there? _The White Fang?_

How long had Yang been out for?

“Can you move? We need to get to safety.” Blake was saying to her, and Yang blinked, refocusing her eyes on her, looking up into her amber eyes that glinted in the sunlight, her lips parted as she stared back down at her with worry.

Yang swallowed thickly, tried to push herself into attempting some sort of speech again.

“I can try.” Yang wheezed, a small cough escaping her lips, that simple act already causing her chest and ribs to protest against her - sparks of pain shooting up through her body and making her wince again.

Blake was patient with her as she tried her best to sit up - but it was too much for her. She barely made it a few inches before she flopped back down, a groan of pain echoing from her throat and a few tears pricking her eyes.

Gods, it felt like she’d been thrown off a flying airship at the speed of light.

“It’s okay, I can carry you.” Blake said, and Yang’s alarm bells rang in her head at that - one very distinct thought of being in Blake’s arms, which excited her, but then another more intrusive thought of being a burden to her partner, who was probably mentally and physically exhausted just as much as her.

So she clenched her jaw as she tried to raise herself again, only managing to plant herself on her elbows, and Blake’s eyes flitted all around her face.

“No.” Yang replied, shaking her head. “I can do this.”

“ _Yang_.” Blake breathed out, eyes narrowing down at her, and without any warning or preparation for Yang, Blake huffed and scooted to her side, placing her hands underneath her.

Yang’s eyes widened and before she could protest or fight against it, Blake wrapped an arm around her back and one around her thighs, hoisting her up with her as Blake got to her feet again, holding her in her arms in a bridal style, prompting Yang to wrap her arms around her neck out of shock.

“We have our own airship.” Blake said, turning her body towards said airship not far from them on the battlefield, which was thinning in Grimm thanks to the efforts of the Atlesian military, her friends and even the Ace-Ops.

Yang glanced up to Blake, her partner’s eyes looking away from her towards their other friends and the groups that had gathered to help them fight - relief flooding Yang’s body at the thought of their broadcast actually _working_.

Through the crowds of Grimm and people, through the chaos of everything, Yang spotted Ruby and the rest of them - fighting and pushing the Grimm back, but the second that Ruby turned around and saw her in Blake’s arms, her sister’s eyes widened.

She said something to the others, and all of a sudden, they _all_ rushed over - Ruby, Weiss, Nora, Penny, even the Happy Huntresses’ were around to help. 

“Yang!” Ruby said, sheathing Crescent on her back to reach out her hand to hold hers, looking relieved and happy all at once. Yang smiled back at her and squeezed her hand, looking at everyone else as Weiss and Nora dealt with an unconscious Ren and Jaune, with Penny picking up Oscar in her own arms.

“May said she would get to the airship. We have too many people down now - we need to get to safety while we can and regroup.” Ruby said, looking to everyone to see if they had any objections to what she said.

When everyone seemed to be in agreement, they all nodded to each other and began making their way over to the airship, running through the gunfire and blood and gore of the fight, which seemed to be going in their favour with the help of some of their old friends.

Yang winced when she was jostled a little too much in Blake’s arms, and Blake looked down at her with apologetic eyes.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.” Blake said.

Yang let out a sigh, feeling the fatigue creeping into her body and making her feel heavy - as if there were anchors tied around her ankles and weighing her down, and that familiar part of her that just wanted to move on her own - wanted to be _useful_ to everyone and be strong, rather than what was happening currently, came back in full force.

“I can.. Ugh… I can take care of myself. It’s fine.” Yang attempted, squirming a little in Blake’s strong hold.

But then Blake tightened her arms around her, shaking her head and curling her ears on her head, guiding them the last little bit into the airship.

“Yang, you....” Blake started, breathing out shakily and swallowing thickly, shaking her head at her again as they approached the airship, the rest of the team already inside and holding their hands out to aid her in stepping inside.

“You could have… _Died_ in that explosion, Yang.” Blake said softly, and Yang’s heart constricted painfully at the vulnerable, broken look in Blake’s eyes when she said that - the pain evident on her face at the thought of what could have happened to her in that beast.

“And you’re hurt, and can barely walk, so just… Let us take care of you for a second, okay?” Blake tacked on, glancing down at her while she lifted them both up into the airship, allowing Ruby and Weiss to take hold of Yang for a moment as they settled inside, May in the pilot’s seat and Robyn in the passenger.

Yang’s protest was on the tip of her tongue - that same part of her desperately wanting to get up and _fight_ \- get out there and protect the people, protect the ones that she cared about the most and fight for them, fight against Salem who was _still_ out there even if the Whale was currently out of commission.

But then Ruby and Weiss laid her down on the floor of the airship, Nora and Penny taking care of Jaune, Ren and Oscar not far from her as well. She watched Blake crouch down next to her and take her hand in both of hers, watched Ruby untie her cloak and lay it across her as a makeshift blanket, and as May began pulling them out of the fight for a moment, Weiss laid a glyph down underneath her so she wouldn’t jostle too much in the take off.

“We just need to get you guys out of here for now. But we’ll be back.” Ruby said with a small smile, possibly seeing the apprehension in Yang’s eyes at leaving the battle like this.

“Just rest.” Weiss butt into the conversation, cracking open her eye to look down at her while also maintaining her concentration on her glyph. “We can handle it, okay?”

Yang gazed up at them all - their eyes holding such relief and softness towards her, all of them happy and at ease now that they were all back together again. She felt Blake gingerly lay a hand in her hair, a warmth spreading through her chest as she began to card her fingers through the strands - a soft and soothing feeling that made her feel even more sleepy than she was before.

Ruby smiled at her again, and with the knowledge that they were all safe and sound, together in that airship, Yang finally closed her eyes.

Yang would want to get back into the fight as soon as possible - and the moment that she was stable enough, she would do just that.

But, for now, maybe it wasn’t the end of the world if she took a rest.

With the people she loved around her, watching over her and allowing her this moment - there was nothing Yang would rather do.


	57. R&R (Bumbleby)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "bees getting some r&r after a tough fight? They need a soak in a bath or a hot spring or something!"
> 
> premise: a random point in volume 7 before ironwood turns on them because im physically incapable of writing at any other point in the show i guess lmaooo

Yang was _exhausted_.

Her muscles ached, she could barely lift her arms at this point, and her eyes felt heavier than the weight of the Sabyr that had pinned her to the ground not long ago.

It was a simple assignment - a few Sabyr’s had gathered down in Mantle, trashing the streets and sending citizens into turmoil, running and screaming back into their homes if they had any, and thankfully, she, Blake and Marrow had intercepted the creatures and battled them back, protecting the city just as they were trained to do.

She and Blake worked seamlessly, as usual - ripping and tearing through the Grimm together, with Marrow constantly berating them about going off on their own, but hey - when you have a partnership _this_ good, how could they _not_ take full advantage of their skills?

A small smile formed on her face as she laid on her bed in the dorm room at the thought of her partner, who was not far from her in the bathroom adjacent to their room, cleaning herself up a little from the harsh fight.

Yang puffed out her cheeks and glanced up at her scroll, which she had raised just above her face as she searched up the map of the city.

Her shoulders in particular ached when she moved them the tiniest bit to scroll through the various areas in Atlas on her scroll, her eyes lighting up when she found something particularly interesting, but that light was soon snuffed out and replaced with a grimace as she pressed her hand onto her left shoulder, another bout of pain sparking from the wounds there, rolling it a little and hissing at the sharp pain.

That Sabyr that pinned her down - she really had _no_ idea how it got past her and flanked her like that, when both Blake and Marrow were around her, everyone keeping an eye on each other to ensure nothing went wrong. But there was one brief moment where Yang turned her back to look down an alley, certain that another creature may have run down that way, when she was suddenly on her back and pinned to the ground with sharp claws digging into her jacket and lightly piercing her skin and she _cried_ out in pain, squirming underneath the beast with all her strength.

It snarled in her face, and she was able to land a solid punch into its face to stagger it, and thankfully, Blake was there soon after - as she always was, launching herself at the thing to embed Gambol Shroud into its neck, catching it off guard.

It stumbled away from Yang, and once Yang was up, they both took care of it swiftly with their famous Bumblebee move, launching Yang at it with a swift, strong punch to its face and ending the fight, but not without some scrapes, bruises, and tiredness creeping up inside both of them.

Marrow had told them it was reckless - but all Yang could focus on was the shine in Blake’s eyes when they defeated it together, and the soft way she smiled at her when they locked eyes, looking both proud and relieved that they defeated the beast together.

She was _worried_ of course, her partner fussing over the claw marks in her shoulders all the way back to Atlas Academy, and even though Yang had told her she was fine, had told her she could handle it, Blake had shot her a look that Yang _really_ didn’t have the energy to fight against and allowed her to clean up her wounds on the airship. 

With her fingers working diligently and so delicately on her skin, the furrow in her eyebrows as she concentrated on her task, the curl in the ears on her head at how banged up Yang was, Yang was truly proud of herself for _not_ passing out during the whole process, despite the rapid beating of her heart at Blake’s proximity to her and the soft touch of her hands lighting her skin on fire.

Yang swallowed thickly at that, blinking herself out of her daydreaming when the bathroom door creaked open, and she was soon met with the object of those thoughts when Blake walked out, white coat off and Gambol Shroud being placed on the desk against the wall, her shoulders slumped forward.

She was only in the leather bodysuit that she wore under her long coat, and Yang had seen her that way dozens of times already over the course of their time in Atlas, already being caught several times staring at her - how _embarrassing_ was that? - on missions, or in the briefing room, or in the dorm room, and every single time, Blake’s cheeks lit up with pink and her ears drooped shyly on her head at Yang’s look.

But, she never failed to also send a quip her way at all the staring - and Yang wasn’t going to spared from that this time as Blake turned back to face her, her eyes catching hers as Yang was in the middle of roaming her eyes down her body, quite honestly losing track of what _world_ she was even in anymore where she was privileged enough to have Blake Belladonna in the same room as her again after so long of being denied that - of being separated for so long, whether physically or due to Yang’s confusion and uncomfortable nature after their initial reunion at Haven.

But, now that time was over - and they defeated their shared demon, _together_ , and now all Yang really had to worry about was the ever growing feelings for her partner and best friend that never failed to surface whenever she looked at her.

Blake’s eyes narrowed playfully into slits, a mischievous glow in the amber as she tilted her head, crossing her arms on her chest and raising an eyebrow.

“You know, you could always take a picture.” Blake said, smirking at her as Yang’s cheeks flushed.

Yang saw the tinge of pink on her partner’s cheeks though - the shy droop of her ears at Yang’s blatant staring, and it gave her a bit of confidence, despite once again being caught in the act.

Yang cracked a goofy grin and grunted a little when she sat herself up on her bed, shrugging her shoulders - a bad move, with a sharp pain travelling through her body - and looking down at Blake from her top bunk.

“I’ve always thought you’d make a good model.” Yang replied, and Yang rejoiced in her mind at the slight shock on Blake’s face - clearly not expecting such a response from her, given that she would barely be able to get two words out whenever caught in the act of checking her partner out so openly.

But Blake was always quick-witted - always one step ahead of her, keeping her on her toes, and she quickly recovered from her initial shock, maintaining the smirk on her face as she pulled out her own scroll to wave towards Yang, confusing her for a moment until she quirked up an eyebrow in her direction.

“Wanna prove that theory?” Blake said, tilting her head again and _oh_ , the look in her eyes was equal parts playful and teasing and downright _evil_ as she raised her other eyebrow expectantly at her, and Yang needed to _back away_ from this situation before she said something absolutely ridiculous and broke the momentum she had been building because her heart was going to burst out her chest the longer Blake looked at her like that.

“U-Um, well, uh…” Yang said oh so eloquently, suddenly very unsure of herself and what was going on, mind working a mile a minute.

Blake’s smirk turned into a smile that crinkled her eyes and she let out a small giggle, raising her hand to cover her mouth as she did so, shaking her head and placing her scroll on the same desk as Gambol Shroud, thankfully having mercy on her dumbstruck partner on the bed.

Yang sighed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the smile that adorned her lips at Blake laughing so openly in front of her - eyes shining with a playful energy that made her look even more beautiful in the evening light in their room, the moon just barely streaking through the window and enveloping her in its beam.

Yang sucked in a breath, and she really wished she _could_ take a picture of this moment - to capture it and keep it with her at all times, keep it in her memory for as long as she could.

But Blake was already moving again by the time she registered the thought of grabbing her scroll. Yang shook herself out of her thoughts again and watched her partner let out a weary sigh and lean herself against the desk behind her, almost looking like she would fall asleep right there.

“You feeling okay?” Yang asked, eyebrows crinkling. “Those Sabyrs were pretty tough.”

Blake hummed back at her, letting out another sigh before she looked up at her again, giving her a soft smile.

“Yeah.” Blake said, curling her arms around herself and shaking her head in disbelief. “I’m just glad we got it done.”

“Yeah.” Yang puffed out her cheeks and winced when she moved herself to the edge of her bed, and Blake made a soft noise of protest, stepping away from the desk in bewilderment.

“You should be resting.” Blake said, but Yang just snorted and hopped down from her bed, ignoring the pain to flash a smile at her.

“I’m all good, don’t worry.” Yang replied.

Blake frowned and glanced to her shoulders. Her eyes were hesitant and searching, and after a moment of staring, her frown deepened and she looked back up to Yang’s face.

“You were _pinned down_ , Yang.” Blake said, and something in her voice made Yang pause.

She sounded _scared_ , her arms further curling around her own body as her eyes met Yang’s, the fear evident in her expression and Yang’s face softened, her hand twitching at her side to touch her - cup her cheek and press her forehead against hers, to show her she _was_ fine - she would get through this, just like she always has, especially with her aura slowly healing her up.

But Blake sighed and looked down, briefly breaking their eye contact before Yang could do anything.

“I just… I don’t want you pushing yourself.” Blake murmured in a soft tone. “Promise me you’ll pace yourself, okay?” She looked to Yang again, staring straight into her eyes without any sign of wavering and Yang’s breath hitched at the clear concern and care there.

Yang took a breath and nodded once, and with a slight gulp, she reached out and grasped Blake’s hand, squeezing it once it was in her hold - cool metal pressed against warm, soft flesh, but Blake clung to her touch all the same - as if it wasn’t any different to her other hand. 

“I promise.” Yang said, and those two words caused Blake’s ears to prick up a little more.

“But,” Yang continued soon after, and when Blake looked about ready to protest, Yang grinned and whipped out her scroll, shoving it into Blake’s face and raising her eyebrows. “Right now, let’s go out.”

Blake’s ears pricked forward in interest, and she gave her such a bewildered look before looking at Yang’s scroll, raising an eyebrow at the screen that displayed a map of Atlas, a specific location zoomed in on and marked.

“Buster’s Bodacious Bathhouse?” Blake read aloud, and although the name sounded downright ridiculous coming from Blake’s lips, Yang smiled wide and nodded at her in excitement, pulling the scroll away from her face to point at the screen.

“Yeah!” Yang said with eagerness. “Look, we fought super well today and kicked ass, as usual.” Blake let out a huff of laughter at that, but made no move to stop her as she continued to speak. “And since we have a few hours left until lights out, and Ruby and Weiss are still busy, maybe we could… I don’t know, go out and get some R&R, just the two of us.”

“At a… Bathhouse?” Blake asked carefully, and Yang nodded with that same bright smile on her face, and Blake just glanced at her scroll again. She still looked a little unsure, so Yang stepped a bit closer to her, her smile shifting to a much softer, more comforting one.

“Hey.” Yang said, and Blake’s eyes looked up to hers. “Look, if you’re not comfortable, it’s okay. I just thought… I don’t know, we could… Get a private one, and it could be kind of like a hot springs experience? You know, since we don’t actually _have_ any around here…”

As Yang said it out loud, she realised just how _weird_ that could have sounded to her partner - a _private_ one? Just the two of them? In only bathing suits and in much closer proximity than they’ve ever been in before?

And suddenly Yang felt uncertain, and completely and wholly _guilty_ at possibly making Blake uncomfortable with this suggestion - and her lips were already parting to tell her to forget the whole thing, to pretend she never asked and that they could just sit on Yang’s bunk and drink some tea if she would prefer-

“Okay.” Blake said, cutting through Yang’s self-destructive thoughts for a moment.

“Huh?” Yang replied, and Blake let out that adorable giggle again, leaning in closer to Yang and suddenly all the air rushed out of Yang’s lungs, everything _Blake_ overwhelming her and almost suffocating her as her partner laid her hands carefully on Yang’s shoulders, wary of the wounds underneath her jacket.

“I said, ‘okay’. It wouldn’t hurt to relax after what we went through today.” Blake said with a grin, and Yang blinked in shock when she pulled away from her to cross the room, throwing on her long white coat and zipping it up before Yang could even properly process that Blake said _yes_.

Blake raised her head after another minute of Yang just standing in the middle of their dorm room.

“Are you okay?” Blake said, and that spurred Yang into action immediately - rapidly nodding her head and gripping her scroll, trying to hide her giddiness as she rushed by her partner to the door.

“Yep! Totally good, let’s get going before we’re too late.” Yang squeaked out, internally cringing at the shrill tone to her voice, but if Blake had anything to say about it, she kept it to herself - simply smiling with amusement at her as they left the dorm room, on their way to a place unfamiliar to them both - but happy to do it together.

***

“Ahhhh… This feels _so_ good.”

Yang groaned and submerged herself deeper into the bath, allowing the comfortable warmth of the water wash over her aching body as she closed her eyes, and although there was a slight sting to the claw marks on both of her shoulders, she could already feel her aura slowly healing them up and the water delicately lapping at them to ease the pain, something she greatly welcomed.

“It _does_.” 

Yang hummed and cracked her eyes open at the sound of her partner’s voice on the opposite end of the bath, the room only consisting of them and the soft jazzy music playing through the speakers above them and the soft scent of lavender invading their noses.

Blake looked completely relaxed from where she was - eyes closed, head leaning back against the edge of the bath as she hummed softly at the bath working out the kinks and knots in her body.

It was no easy feat getting there in the first place - a few wrong turns, a run in with a drunk old man that spewed something horrendous at Blake as they passed by, and walking into the wrong building once or twice caused them to lose much needed time, but they eventually made it to the bathhouse.

And Yang simply had to call in a favour from a certain Schnee in order to get a private room for just her and Blake, blatantly ignoring the exasperated tone in Weiss’ voice when she spoke with her through the scroll.

But Weiss was still a Schnee at the end of the day, even if she wasn't the heiress anymore, and her name carried a lot of weight in Atlas - thus, with a little magic from her friend, the man at the reception desk allowed them in and provided them with standard issue Atlas themed bathing suits once he realised they actually didn’t own any at the moment.

And it was then that Yang realised that this may have been a huge mistake, considering the way Blake _looked_ in that bathing suit - her skin looking silky and smooth to the touch, lean muscles on display in the clear water when Yang’s eyes strayed a bit lower, heart thrumming in her chest.

And yet again, Yang was caught in the act when Blake’s eyes suddenly cracked open, her head leaning forward to look straight at her, and Yang swiftly averted her gaze, clearing her throat while a blush lit up her cheeks.

“Yang.” Blake said, so soft that Yang almost missed it. But it was there nonetheless, and Yang hummed back at her, daring to return her eyes to her despite the embarrassment at being caught, _again_ , staring and admiring her partner's body like that. She swallowed around the lump in her throat when she met Blake’s eyes, and in the back of Yang’s mind she registered the fact that Blake looked much closer to her side of the bath than before.

But it was difficult to focus on that vital piece of information when Blake looked back at her with such softness in her eyes, a slight smile on her lips and an adorable flush to her cheeks.

She gestured to the room around them.

“I wasn’t sure about this before, but… Thank you - for this.” Blake said, leaning herself back against the edge of the bath again, but this time raising her elbows to plant them behind her on the ledge. Yang’s eyes wandered a bit more again with the change in position, but she was quick to snap her attention back when Blake continued to say, “Sometimes your ideas can get us into trouble, but this one’s not so bad.”

She grinned at her when Yang sputtered in indignation, another warm blush erupting on her cheeks as she glared at her partner with a playful air to it.

“I’ll have you know I have _amazing_ ideas, Belladonna.” Yang replied, crossing her arms and sloshing the water around her for a moment in the process.

“Oh?” Blake said, tilting her head as her ears flicked, a teasing glint in her eye and smirk on her lips that _really_ had no business being that attractive. “I seem to recall a few instances of blowing up some clubs back in Beacon? Or, you know, a mob chasing us a few times? Or were those all hallucinations I conjured up?”

“That’s- Look- _Ugh_.” Yang stuttered, finishing it off with a groan and shaking her head, ignoring the giggles that escaped her partner. Yang huffed and looked at her, narrowing her eyes again. “We had a _great_ time in that one club! Not my fault some guy got too cosy with us. He was asking to be punched.” Yang grumbled, mind flitting back to that moment - when she and Blake were in a booth together, simply talking and enjoying each other’s company as they drank Strawberry Sunrises together, Blake passionately retelling the plot of one of her convoluted books that maybe Yang had no idea about, but truly didn’t care if it meant she got to listen to Blake’s voice.

Then that drunk man just _had_ to walk up to them and say some rude comments to them - asking if he could join in, hang out with them, and Yang proudly held herself back the entire time, until his hand landed on Blake’s shoulder without her consent and all she saw was red.

She apologised profusely to Blake after that - saying she ruined the night for the both of them, and that she _knew_ Blake could always handle herself, and it was wrong of her to go against that.

But Blake had just giggled at her and said it was the most fun she’d had in a long time, boosting Yang’s mood and confidence instantly as they walked back to the dorm room together, their laughter bouncing off the walls of the buildings along their way.

Blake’s voice brought her back to the present again, and she shook herself out of the memory to focus back on their conversation.

“Yeah.” Blake whispered, more to herself than anything, but Yang still heard it regardless as her ears curled down on her head and she removed her elbows from the edge of the bath to curl them around herself under the water. “I had a great time, then.”

Silence enveloped the pair after that, and Yang wasn’t entirely sure what to say or how to process that. The air suddenly felt stifling between the two of them, the only sounds being the faint music and the steady _drip, drip, drip_ of the bath’s faucet and Yang watched the gears turn over in Blake’s head, the brief, subtle crinkle to her eyebrow and the frown twitching at her lip.

She wasn’t sure what her partner was telling herself in her mind, or whatever memory was causing the downward trajectory of her mood, but that was _not_ why Yang asked them both to come here. This was meant to be a relaxing time for the both of them after all their hard work - a chance to be _alone_ , a chance to actually talk with each other like they used to, after everything had torn them apart.

So, Yang sighed deeply and despite the pounding of her heart and the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she shifted herself in the bath, the sound of water rippling causing her partner’s ears to flick up along with her eyes. Yang smiled a bit at her and moved over beside her, just barely an inch between their bare thighs in the water.

“Look,” Yang said gently, careful of the sensitive topic she was about to bring up. “I… Miss those times - a lot, actually.” She continued, a melancholic tone overtaking her voice, but she pressed on before Blake could take anything the wrong way. “I, um… I loved doing those things with you, you know? Even if they seemed to always end in disaster.”

Blake huffed a laugh at that, which Yang considered a major success given the circumstances. Yang grinned and looked into her eyes then, trying her best to ignore how _close_ they were in order to finish her thoughts.

“And yeah… I’ll never forget how you left.” Yang’s voice turned softer, and it pained her to see the flash of guilt on Blake’s face, but she was quick to rectify that by placing a hand on Blake’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “But, things are different now. _I_ know that, and I know you’d never leave me - leave _us_ , again.”

Blake’s eyes bore into hers as she spoke, and Yang was vaguely aware of the shift to her body underneath the water, their thighs now touching and sending a pleasant jolt through Yang’s body as she attempted to remain on track with her thoughts.

“We might not get those times back, and maybe we would have had more of those if you… Stayed.” Yang softened her tone with the last word, being extra careful with the intensity of Blake’s gaze on her. “But we can’t change that now. You’re here, and you promised. And… I trust that promise, Blake. I trust _you_.”

Blake’s breath hitched at that, eyes widening slightly at her words. She searched all over Yang’s face for something - perhaps any sign that Yang was lying, or covering up any of her true feelings about the entire situation.

But Yang knew she would only find a tender, soft look her way and the complete and utter truth because Yang’s heart _bled_ for this woman - her heart swelled up ten times in her chest whenever Blake looked at her, or smiled at her, or _laughed_ and there was absolutely no way Yang would lie to her now after everything they’ve been through. Especially about _this_ \- about _them_ , and whatever they would become down the line, once they figured that part out.

Eventually, Blake’s shoulders relaxed, and her ears flattened on her head as a light blush flooded her cheeks, a small smile blooming on her face that took Yang’s breath away yet again.

“Okay.” Blake breathed out, nodding at her.

Yang smiled back and squeezed Blake’s shoulder again, planning to pull away from her and give her some space again - quite honestly more for her own sanity and composure because that bathing suit showed Yang a _lot_ more than she was prepared to see tonight and she was about ready to implode.

But Blake stopped her before she moved too far, her partner’s cheeks deepening in shade as she scooted a bit closer to her in the bath. It felt like a million drummer boys were dancing around in Yang’s heart at the slight shift from her, her amber eyes aflame with a softness Yang wasn’t entirely used to yet.

Without a word, Blake pressed herself against Yang’s side, their skin brushing under the water as she wrapped her arms around Yang’s mid-section, her head coming to rest on Yang’s shoulder, her breath puffing out and leaving goosebumps on Yang’s neck.

“Is this okay?” Blake whispered, and Yang soon realised that she had completely frozen up at this development with her arms awkwardly raised in the air while her partner snuggled into her side. She simply let out a small noise from the back of her throat - a confirmation? A protest? She didn’t even know herself - and Blake raised her head a little to look up at her, concern washing over her face. “I’m sorry, I just- I thought we could… Relax together, you know?” Blake said, suddenly looking so unsure of herself and Yang tried desperately to bring herself back down to Remnant in order to _talk_ to her.

It was when a flash of disappointment fell across her partner’s face and her arms began to untangle from her body that Yang _finally_ spurred into action, her arms quickly coming around Blake in order to keep her pressed against her, a soft gasp escaping Blake’s throat as she did so.

Blake’s arms wound up back around her middle, and Yang looked down at her with a soft, but nervous smile.

“It’s okay, I was just… Um, caught off guard.” Yang admitted quietly, and Blake’s relief was palpable on her face - as if the reason was _her_ and not the abundance of nerves in Yang’s stomach at the contact with the person she loved the most. The person that she never wanted to separate from again, and the person that held her heart so delicately in her hand and could do anything to it if she so desired, because Yang was _helpless_.

“I’ll be sure to warn you next time.” Blake said, a smirk suddenly curling on her lips as she cuddled in close again, laying her head on Yang’s shoulder and letting out a deep sigh.

_Next time?_

Yang would soon cease to exist if she thought more on that statement - next time meaning they’d come back here and do this? Next time meaning Blake would wrap her arms around her just like this, even when it _wasn’t_ in private?

She wasn’t sure, but in that moment with her partner against her, their arms tightly wound around each other with the warm, soothing waters of the bath they shared, Yang realised it didn’t exactly matter.

They were on the same page - at least, Yang believed they were. And one day, when they found the right time and the right words, maybe there would be more where this came from with the two of them - way, way more.

Yang was willing to wait, as long as Blake was by her side through it all.


End file.
